A season of limbo.

Well, it looks like SPRING is around the corner. I feel like I'm waking up from hibernation, I can sense the energy just boiling inside whenever I step outdoors. The air is fresh, the ground is wet and life feels new. Don't get me wrong, winter is great, but there is something about the seasons changing that is pure magic. As nature begins to wake and stretch it's exhilarating to watch and wait for the beautiful summer that's clearly on it's way, of course on the other hand, it's a time where the puddles are huge, the cars are dirty and potholes abound. I guess you could call spring a 'limbo' season, a period of time where you're really looking forward to what's to come while tolerating the present.

All this season thinking got me mulling about the 'limbo' seasons in our lives. I feel like I'm constantly stuck in a 'limbo' season, looking forward to what's to come while not fully enjoying where I am. Thinking, if only I lose 10 pounds, then I can wear that, or if only I could run 20km then I'd be a legit runner. I've got dozens of these things going on in my little pea brain. Always looking ahead while missing the current victories. I've got all these lofty goals of things that I want to accomplish and eventually I fail, and worse yet, FEEL like a failure. It's like I'm in a permanent Spring, which wouldn't be so bad if I could enjoy it, but instead I'm sitting around complaining about the wetness, the slippery roads, the potholes.

How do we learn to be happy with where we are while still reaching to achieve our dreams? It's easy to come up with the solution, harder to execute it. Wouldn't it be healthy if we could put on a pair of pants and think, "ok, this is good, thank you body for being what you are!" Or if we could go for a run and afterwards say, "wow, that distance was great, you have improved immensely".

I'm making this Spring about embracing myself where I'm at. I'm going to relish the beauty of the snow melting, the roads transformations into ponds, the utter magnificence of the river starting to flow again. I'm not going to gripe about the inconveniences of Spring and the fact that I'm dying for Summer to come. It goes deeper, I'm going to be thankful for my body where it is RIGHT now and be proud of every run I complete. I'm going to try my darndest not to complain about the imperfections. Wasn't it Paul who said, "...I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances..."

Granting yourself grace.

It's 7AM and I'm wide awake, this is rare, typically at this time you would find me groggily trying to get back to sleep, groggily feeding a baby, or on a good night actually asleep. Last night Ben and I went out with another couple to dinner and a movie and Ellie was at my parents place. I think she was away from me for longer than ever before, 4.5 hours. Anyways, we got home at around 10:30 put Elliotte promptly to bed and quickly followed suit ourselves and were asleep within minutes.

Fast forward....I woke up to surprisingly NOT a baby crying, I looked around for my cell to check the time assuming it was probably midnight. Imagine my surprise when my phone read 5:30! I had just been granted roughly 7 hours of sleep IN A ROW!!! I was in quite a lot of pain since I hadn't fed Ellie in so long so I was getting up to go pump when I heard a beautiful little stirring from the other room, perfect timing my girl! She ate like nobody's business and then conked out again. I didn't rush to put her down and spent the next few minutes stroking her cheek, tracing her ears with my finger, holding her close revelling in the beauty of my girl. It's an amazing feeling, feeding my baby when I'm not teetering on unconsciousness. Now I'm wide awake and feel more rested than ever, it's amazing what a few hours of uninterrupted sleep can do!

I tell you this story not to brag but to point out the need to grant ourselves grace. I have a tendency to feel guilty about most of what I do, or don't do. Only now, feeling rested do I know how much of a fog I have been living in. Ellie has been waking up on average 6-9 times a night, I didn't realize how hard that has been on me. It's rare that I get much more than laundry and cooking done in a day and I have been feeling horrible about it, like a failure as a mother and wife. Whether we have children or not, there are areas in our lives where we don't get enough rest, it may be physical sleep, or that we overwork ourselves, or even just our mental capability of making ourselves feel so incredibly small. Whatever it is, let us not beat ourselves up about the things we DON'T do 'right' and instead realize that we are human, we can't do everything. The important thing is to give ourselves some grace,  and pray that a good night's rest is right around the corner.

Now, how about some photos?!

This girl LOOOVES bathes, pardon the blurriness. 

Taken on her half birthday.

She is trying to crawl SOOO hard, I don't think it will be too too long before she figures it out.

This girl is SOOOO independent, every time you come at her with a spoon she tries with all of her might to snatch the spoon and do it herself, creating an epic mess...every time.

Pug and baby, BFFs.

Profound, I know.

So everything I have to say today is going to come out sounding like a cliché but even though you hear things over and over, when they pertain to you somehow it seems so profound, ya know? Tonight as Ellie was in her bath I was struck by how amazing life is (profound, I know). From the moment we are conceived we begin to change. The first while it's mostly development as far as size and growing organs etc, etc, then once we are born we begin to learn the 'ways of life' mighty quickly, we continue to grow in size but all of a sudden we are becoming smart.... For instance, for the past couple weeks Elliotte has been able to sit on her own in the bath and consequentially has discovered splashing. The incredible pride I feel when I watch her entire face light up as her brain makes the connection between the cause and effect of hitting the water with her hands is kind of ridiculous... I am blown away at the amazing learning curve of a 5 1/2 month old. Every day she seems to find something else in this world that she wants to learn and she does it. Lately I've been watching as she scooches backwards, or how she will stand FOREVER, giggling and squealing while she holds on to the coffee table, or how she likes to grab the dogs tail and stick it in her mouth... Her eyes are always so interested in the world around her and I love to watch as I see understanding hit her face. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can't believe how amazing it is that something can start out as an egg and a sperm and somehow becomes a person, a completely unique, beautiful, lovely person (profound, I know!).

It all started 1 year ago...

Hands sweaty, heart pounding, stomach tied up in knots. I couldn't sleep, so I got up and drove over to Shoppers Drug Mart. The roads were empty, no one was up at 5:00AM. I quietly walked up to the counter with a two pack, I needed double the confirmation. I took both tests thinking that they might tell me that the one I had taken the night before had been an error, after all, the instructions say to use the first morning stream....I had used the last evening stream... But there was no mistake...we were having a baby!

I waited until 8:00AM, literally watching the clock turn from 7:59 to 8:00. I had the number dialled, I pushed CALL, no one answered the first time, I guess being open from 8:00-4:00 actually meant 8:10-4:00. I called back ten minutes later, I told the receptionist that I needed a midwife. For some reason I was shocked when she didn't schedule me an appointment right then and there, she told me that the midwives are swamped and I'd be lucky if I was chosen as a patient, but to wait and see, perhaps I would be one of the lucky ones. 

I went to work. Ben and I texted back and forth about our secret, discussing who we wanted to let in and who we wanted to wait to tell. That night we told my parents, they both cried, this was the first grandchild for them and they couldn't have been happier. We told Ben's mom the next day, she screamed, we were at a restaurant. We told our siblings and decided to keep everyone else in the dark. We wanted to keep our secret for a little while. We waited for February to tell our friends. 

Christmas came and went, we celebrated New Years, moved out of our apartment, settled into our new home and then one day early January I got a call from the midwives, we had been accepted! I finally was able to get excited about planning a home birth. I started researching, reread all my birth books, watched birth videos,  I filled my mind with anything birth related. I tried to keep any thoughts of fear at bay.

Pregnancy flew by. I didn't want it to end. I will always remember how it felt the first time I felt Elliotte wiggle inside me.  I was massaging a client's neck and all of a sudden right below my belly button I felt a twinge. I was 20 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Week by week my body changed. Elliotte grew and developed, the twinges became kicks, the kicks became strong and were visible from the outside, one change blended into the next as our baby grew. I began my maternity leave at 37 weeks pregnant and the three weeks that I spent at home waiting for Ellie will always be a precious memory for me, we walked, we napped, we installed the car seat, went to birth classes, picked up last minute supplies for the birth,  debated name choices and walked some more. 

My due date came and went like any other Sunday. Monday passed and Elliotte didn't move, I kept waiting and waiting to feel her beautiful movements and it never happened. 11:00PM rolled around and I was worried. We called our midwife, she said to go to the hospital. We got to emergency, I was ushered to the front of the line, I guess they all thought I was in labour. We got up into assessments where our midwife met us. She hooked me up to the monitors and we heard the most beautiful sound in the world,  the strong galloping of Elliotte's heartbeat. The midwife sent us home saying that she thought we needed to get some rest since I was in early labour. 

We went to bed and I woke up the next morning feeling better than ever and I was frustrated... why was I not in labour? I was crampy and didn't feel great but not like I thought labour would be. We went to bed Tuesday night annoyed, and then it happened...

...I woke up early Wednesday morning and knew that it was the day. Everything tightened, everything ached, and I was so excited. Now, 3 months later, the memories are hazy. I want to remember every minute, I want to remember every sensation, every thought, but I don't. I remember bits and pieces, I remember watching a comedian and wanting him to just shut up. I remember seeing Ben set up the birth pool and feeling so proud of him. I remember Sharon, our doula, praying for me in her sweet, calm, motherly voice. I remember hating the birth ball and loving the tub. I remember being forced to drink booster juice in between contractions. I remember feeling so proud of my body. I remember seeing one of the midwives sleeping on the couch and feeling bad for all the noise but not being able to control it. I remember the shocking feeling of my water breaking and the intense change in contractions after. I remember the determination I felt when told I had to get out of the pool. I remember pushing whether I felt a contraction or not. I remember the sense of panic when the midwife said to call the ambulance, the pure adrenaline that took over to get Ellie out in that moment, and the relief that flooded me when the midwife calmly said, "never mind, baby is coming". I will never forget the moment that I cried out, "Oh my God, he's here! Thank you God!" I will never forget the love that washed over my little family those first few moments, when no one around us mattered, when the midwives silently checked over my beautiful baby and confirmed that she was perfect, and in fact a girl. I remember being fed apples and crackers and not wanting to eat but realizing how delicious food actually was. I will always remember crawling into bed with my husband and baby, everyone snuggled in, having totally forgotten to call and tell anyone about the life-changing day we had just had, pure bliss.

 

We spent the first week pretty much snuggled up on the couch while friends and family came and went. When Elliotte was 3 days old we walked over to my parents so that she could meet Rose. When she was 5 days old we went to Costco. When she was 8 days we went to Emma lake. The first six weeks was a love filled blur. 

As time has gone on we have gotten to know our little beauty. Elliotte is almost 4 months old, she has a personality, she is an active, determined, smiley, demanding, fast eating, explosive pooping, beautiful little girl.

In the past year I have gone from shock to fear to doubt to nervous excitement to genuine excitement to intense pain to being overcome by the fiercest of loves and that's where I'm stuck...I hope that never changes. 

The Good Report Take 6

This past week has been the hardest since the babe was born so I guess that means it's time to remember what's good in life! 

• My favourite season of the year is just beginning!
• There is an end in sight regarding my dental problems.
• I get to sleep in my own bed again!
• Netflix has become our best friend, this is mainly due to how many hours a day I spend breastfeeding.
• Our vehicle that hasn't been working since winter is FIXED, and it was CHEEP.
• My parents are only a 20 minute walk from our house. 
• Elliotte will take a bottle, meaning DATE NIGHTS, here we come.
• So thankful for outings and friends so that I'm not at home all day every day. 
• My Maya wrap. Moose falls asleep in it the second I put her in it, this has definitely come in handy.
• My baby is growing slowly and surely, she is healthy.
• I'm still so incredibly thankful for the safe labour and delivery of Elliotte Rose.
• The love I have for my precious daughter. I was so worried that I wouldn't love her, boy was I in for a surprise. 
• Still so thankful for Ben's new job. He likes it so much more than his last.
• The maternity benefits of my country, I feel quite blessed to be able to stay at home for a full year while still getting paid.
• A roof over my head.
• We have so much more than we need, we are so blessed.

Every good and perfect gift is from above.

James 1:17a

Is She a good baby?

*WARNING RANT*

If I hear someone ask me one more time if Elliotte is a good baby I'm going to spit chips....I understand that people just want to know whether she's easy or not but it still rubs me the wrong way. Yes, Elliotte is a very good baby, she has been crying non-stop for the last 48 hours and doesn't nap for longer than 20 minutes at a time, but she is still a good baby. This thought that our babies are somehow better or worse depending on how much they sleep or how easy they are to deal with is ridiculous. My poor girl clearly is having some tummy issues and only has one way to communicate that. The next time you get painful gas I think I'll start calling you a bad person for being in pain... It breaks my heart every time she goes into one of her crying fits, not because she's bad, but because she's helpless. I have thanked God on more than one occasion that he gave me maternal instincts and unconditional love for her because hearing her sob is exhausting, having to constantly change what I'm doing in order to find the most comfortable position for her is draining. I can't say that I haven't cried, or that I haven't BEGGED her to just feel better but I'm not mad at her, I don't scold her or try to punish her for crying, I try to soothe her. Being a parent is difficult but even after only 6 weeks, I already know that it's the greatest thing I will ever do. For anyone who's asking, Elliotte is a very good baby.

My Girl Ellie...

 On August 8th one week ago today at 11:24PM this beautiful little girl made her entrance into the world and our lives. 

She weighed 7 pounds and 1/2 ounce and measured 20 inches long. 

Let me introduce you to Elliotte.  

Here is my Ellie, 1 week old!

The Good Report Take 5

So today I'm not really in the mood to write a good report but I suppose the days that you don't want to be thankful are the ones that we really should try. Here goes!

• Ben got an unexpected day off today so it looks like we get to spend the day together! 
• The bassinet is set up and ready for a little baby, I can't believe that something is actually done!
• The weather is absolutely perfect today, 18 degrees and sunny with a nice breeze.
• My cousin found sugar free popsicles for me and they taste amazing! I've been indulging like crazy!
• It's almost JULY!
• The horrible humidity we had earlier on in the week seems to be gone, thank God! 
• Now that the humidity has subsided so has my swelling.
• I only have 9 more shifts of work left, I couldn't be more excited to be done.
• We have been down a vehicle for the past few days but my mom has been such a help with giving me rides.
• Still loving all the movement I get to feel throughout the day, what a treat.
• Starting to feel prepared now that we are full swing into our birth classes and we have appointments more often with either the midwife or our doula.
• So thankful for every good night sleep that I get! 

That's all I can muster for the day but it sure does help to focus on the good. I'm off to enjoy this beautiful day! 

The Good Report Take 4

Today's good report is dedicated to my dear husband Ben in honour of this week being our anniversary. I will have no problem whatsoever coming up with a list about him! 

• Ben is such a hard worker. For example he will be working 15(!) hour days the next 5 days, including the weekend! 
• He takes his role of providing for us very seriously.
• He cares about his friends.
• He loves animals so incredibly much, he could just sit holding Rose for hours and hours.
• He's nifty with tools and can fix things, he fixed our bed and made it good as new!
• He's willing and seems excited about attending our birth class.
• He enjoys going with me to my midwife appointments and is sad when he has to miss one. 
• He is tender hearted.
• He likes spending time outdoors.
• He likes spending time with me. 
• He has big dreams
• He is generous. 
• He is stylish :)
• He is kind.
• He can be quiet in a group, he only says something that's worth saying.
• He enjoys spending time with my family.
• He is thoughtful.
• He is gentle. 

I could go on and on and on...
I love him!


xoxoxoxox

The Good Report Take 3

The Good Report:

• The birds chirping outside my window. I'm so glad that I'm a heavy sleeper and that ambient noises don't bother me.
• It's beautiful outside without being too hot yet.
• Pinterest- always something to keep me occupied.
• I know I mentioned it last time but that I have Thursdays and Fridays off!!!
• I live in a city with a beautiful river running through it. Saskatoon really is GORGEOUS in the summer time.
• Our childbirth classes start today. Bring on being prepared! 
• I have more energy than I've had in weeks, pretty cool.
• I am so thankful for the support that we receive from our family in every little way.
• I can't get over how amazing it is to not have coin laundry anymore! No more getting rolls of loonies and quarters from the bank! It's been over 5 months since we had coin laundry and I still think about it on a very regular basis. 
• Good friends! 

My Favourite... Time of Day

I have a new favourite time of  day. It may only remain my fav for a week or it may be a lifelong love, who knows. Here is a detailed account of my favourite time of day for those that care...

• Our alarm wakes us up at 5:50am
• We let the snooze go once or twice, up by 6:10am
• Ben get's his coffee made and lunch ready
• I prepare my warm water and lemon concoction
• Ben leaves for work- this part usually includes a goodbye kiss
• I take my lemon water and the dog and head upstairs
• I remake the bed
• I get into the newly remade bed
• I sip on my lemon water leisurely
• I spend the next hour perusing the world wide inter web, like blogs, pinterest, anything that catches my fancy. 
• After my hour of bliss, so around 7:30am life begins and I have to get up and eat breakfast, shower and all those blah parts of morning. 

Boy do I love that hour of 'me time' 

Here is Rose enjoying our morning together. She likes to jump into the pile of pillows and just sit right behind me snoring like a baby. 

The Good Report Take Two

So my idea to make a list weekly of what I'm grateful for never really panned out. I think it's time to climb back up on the horse and give it another try, don't you!?

The Good Report:

• I am ever so thankful for the sun, and summer weather.
• Fresh fruits and veggies that are in season, delish and reasonably priced. 
• A dog who is fully house trained! She has been perfect at home for six months but still had the odd incident when we took her to my parents.
• Each and every meal of the day, oh I how I look forward to eating these days! 
• Ben has started his new job and he's busy and loving it.
• I have Thursdays and Fridays off work, need I say more.
• The little kicks and punches from our baby, they are so gentle, I wonder what this little one will be like on the outside.
• I think nesting is kicking in, something I've been eagerly anticipating!
• SUMMER IS HERE!!!! 

Well that's it for this week, who knows when the inclination to remember the good in life will hit me again. Hopefully sooner rather than later. There is SOOO much to be thankful for! 

Vintage Baby Clothes

So the other day I was lamenting to my mother that I had no clothes yet for the baby, blah...blah...blah... and all of a sudden she got this look in her eye and ran upstairs. She then started hauling boxes out of her bedroom. We spent the next hour or so going through boxes and boxes of old clothes that my siblings and I wore when we were wee ones. Well, we now have quite a variety of clothes for the little one ranging from newborn to probably 3 years old. I thought I'd snap a few pics of some of the outfits, I can't wait to dress our little girl or boy in some of these precious old pieces. 

This is a little onesie that my mother made for my oldest brother. She has about 5 of these that she hand made and I absolutely LOVE them. She also has a whole bunch of cute little tee's with little collars to go underneath, they make quite a cute ensemble.  

This sweater, hat and booties were made for my oldest brother, by my grandmother. I absolutely love the details, I'm a little curious to see how it would work for a boy...we'll have to wait and see.

This little number was not homemade but I have so many fond memories of my younger sister in it that I had to add it. 

It's hard for a picture to grasp the fuzziness and cuteness of this winter jumper. It looks so vintage and is still so soft, I really hope it will fit our baby come winter time.

This dress was mine. I have real live memories of being in this dress, I loved it when I was 2 and I still love it now. After two boys my mom dressed me up in dresses as much as possible and I LOVE all the cute little summer dresses that she saved. I also love the fact that she had so many outfits that weren't just pink. If we have a girl, you better believe she's gonna be stylin'!  

Here is my brothers sailor suit. They come with adorable little navy blue shorts as well. A part of me wants a boy just so that I can dress him in this when the time comes. SOOO cute! 

29 Weeks!

As I'm writing this 29 week update I'm sitting in a cabin by a beautiful lake. We decided in April that we needed to get away for a few days at least one time before the baby is born, so I booked the time off and Saturday evening after work we headed out and drove the 4.5 hours to Elkwater Resort. My Aunt and Uncle own a cabin up here in Cypress Hills and they are always so willing to let us come here and enjoy what they have. So far our weekend has included, walks by the lake, great games of scrabble, excellent food, going for a stroll up to the quaint little store for ice cream (I was good and passed on the ice cream). Soaking in the hot tub (I also passed on that...), watching movies late at night, and most of all just relaxing! It's been a hoot and we still have a full day left, now on with the update!

Size:

Our little butternut squash is most likely about 2lb 10oz and over 15in! That is crazy big, however I know it's only about 1/3 the size he/she will be at term! The head is growing bigger and the bones are hardening.  At this point this little one is mainly putting on fat as well as developing those precious little lungs. 

Pregnancy Symptoms:

I still feel so lucky at how little discomfort I've experienced so far. This last week I did break down and visit the chiropractor, however it was due to a popped rib, nothing baby related and luckily an easy fix. My hips have started to feel a little 'creaky', especially after a long walk, but nothing bad AT ALL, I'm still waiting for the low back discomfort and the massive pressure of the baby pushing on 'stuff' while you walk. I did detect some swelling after our long walk in the heat yesterday, luckily it quickly went away once I sat down and cooled off so I'm not worried at all, I expect that to get worse before the end of this summer. Due to this Gestational Diabetes I have to monitor my weight much closer and I haven't gained any weight in the last 2 weeks so that's good too. I really don't want to obsess over the scale, but dealing with insulin issues you have a much higher chance for weight concerns and issues with the size of the baby so they like to monitor it quite closely (yuck). 

Life Happenings:

I guess I kind of already went over this at the beginning of the post, I'll think of something else... Other than the amazing opportunity to take it easy this week life has been pretty much the same, just the way we like it! However, Ben starts a new job in 2 weeks, which is very exciting for us. He is definitely done with being self employed, at least for this period of our lives. I only have 7 weeks left of work!!! I have a countdown on my phone and that's only 30 individual work days (I'm only working 4 day weeks now)! I'm actually not dying to be done work and if I can work past 37 weeks I'm going to try, I'm just anticipating my discomfort level once we're midway through July. 

Weekly Highlight:

Spending the weekend with Ben and Rose, I love the lake life.

Now for some pictures! 

29 week bump taken on the boardwalk by the beautiful lake.

My chubby little swollen fingers after our hike. I'm lucky the swelling went down or my ring may have been stuck on.

Ben concentrating on our scrabble match, he beat me by 3 points! Next game he's going down!

I just have to add this one too, Ben went to get a beer from the fridge and Rose jumped into his spot, I guess she wanted to play too.  

Please excuse me while I vent.

*WARNING*

If you don't want to hear someone blow minor inconveniences out of proportion than read no further. I apologize in advance for the pettiness of my griping.

Perhaps it's hormones, or just my childish nature coming out but boy do i feel hard done by today... I really have no reason to complain, my job graciously changed my hours so I now have Fridays off. You'd think this was awesome? Today, not so much. I had no errands to run and I didnt try to come up with some since it was mucky and rainy outside. I puttered around at home, doing a load of laundry, folding another couple loads, but nothing truly productive, if I'm truly honest I didn't actually get out of my housecoat till after 12....To make my 'horrible' day worse, my dear husband is STILL working and it's after 11:30PM that's over a 14 hour day! (poor guy) I made supper more than 4 hours ago and it's just sitting on the stove getting cold and nasty. My dog got a hold of pin cushion and when I found her she was lying on the ground picking out pins from the darn cushion with her evil little paws and tossing them willy-nilly all over the room. Needless to say, she's currently in her kennel on a time-out. Today was just one of those days...In the grand scheme of things I need to remember to be thankful for what I have. Thankful for my day off, for a husband who works so hard for us. Today I'm humbled, when I read over what I wrote I see that I let my emotions get the best of me. Hopefully I will learn from this and not let the little things get to me, this is my goal. 

==================================================================

Here is a picture that even on the cloudiest day brings a smile to my face. I love my family!

27 Weeks!

Size:

Our cauliflower is just under 2 pounds and 14.5 inches long. His or her little brain is very active and they are on a schedule now, waking and sleeping at regular times. I've definitely noticed active times and quieter times as far as movement goes. I also feel like I've perhaps started feeling pushing into my ribs, I don't know if this is too early but it sure feels like the right side gets the odd little jab. I week away from the 3rd trimester!!!!

Pregnancy Symptoms:

Well, I got some bad news this week... I am positive for Gestational Diabetes. I don't even have to go for the 3 hour glucose test, the test was that conclusive. I've spent quite a few hours today researching diabetic diets and I've stumbled upon the Brewer Diet which is pretty intense but seems to have good results, I'll talk to my midwife on Wednesday as to whether I should follow it or not, but I am determined to control this darn diabetes with diet and exercise. I'm also DETERMINED to NOT be considered a high risk pregnancy which having uncontrolled or insulin dependant diabetes automatically makes you. If I have to give up all foods that I love for the next 3 months to attain that goal and to have a healthy baby, then I will. 

I'm also beginning to sense just a twinge of pain in my low back. I feel it quite specifically around both of my sacroiliac joints so I'm assuming its due to the stretching of the ligaments of these joints to allow for a baby to pop out a relatively small space (the pelvic outlet). I truly feel lucky that I have had as little pain as I have so far, I honestly have nothing to complain about. Ben did comment and say that I'm starting to slightly waddle so I guess even though I don't notice it, my belly is starting to effect my walk a little....It's all downhill from here!

Life Happenings:

I'm excited to say that my job is being significantly altered for my current condition. As of next week I will be going down to just 33 hours a week and I will no longer have any shifts longer than 9 hours. I even get 3 days off! I'm also not going to be working past 6PM anymore which I'm SOOO excited about.  

Life seems to be trucking along just swimmingly. I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I know that I'm always saying that I want it to slow down, but it doesn't seem to!

Weekly Highlight:
This may seem a bit lame, but since having this diabetes diagnosis I'm determined to get at least an hour long walk after supper every day, so Ben and I have been taking Rose to the dog park. It's so nice to see her running around having a blast with the other dogs, it's also so nice to be getting some fresh air. I'm also really encouraged since I've been checking my blood sugar levels 7 times a day now and it looks like I'm kind of figuring out what I can eat, so it looks like I'll be able to control it by diet and exercise alone! What a lame highlight....sorry folks.

I've been trying to drink Nettle tea that I got from the health food store, an additional attempt at raising my iron levels.

Here is Ben and the dogs on our BEAUTIFUL walk last night. I LOVE Saskatchewan spring!

Here's a belly picture for 27 weeks.

The Good Report.

So I've decided to try a little series here on the blog. I'm only going to commit to 4 weeks, we'll see if it catches on. Ben always likes to call me a pessimist, I on the other hand like to refer to myself as a realist. I think being a realist there is a tendency to focus on the negative and I do see Ben's point, so for the next 4 Fridays I'm going to try to compile a list of all the things in my life worth being happy about.

The Good Report:

• I am really grateful for a job, one that keeps me really busy.
• I've been sleeping much better this last week than I had been before.
• I've finally gotten used to decaf coffee.
• Very rarely do I want to kill Rose. (it used to be quite often...)
• I've had to walk to work lately, and it always ends up being the best 40 minutes of my day.
• Ben is always on time picking me up from work, he's so punctual!
• I know we've been living in this house for 3 months already but I'm still so incredibly happy to have FREE laundry and a backyard where we can let Rose out.
• I am loving Wednesdays and Fridays because I don't work until 3 so I have the whole mornings to myself.
• I felt the baby move for the first time last night, yay!

Well I think that is it for this week. My dad always says that the more you focus on the positive the easier it is to think of positive things, so hopefully with each week the list will get longer and longer!

Mood Swing Friday

If I had a doc following me around today I'm pretty sure there would have been two conclusions made;

1. how creepy that would be and

2. that I am bipolar.

Let me explain.....

This morning I woke up with a smile on my face...well that's not quite true but by the time I'd had my cup of coffee I was about as close to smiling as one can be while doing ones make-up. I even annoyed the receptionist at work by saying 'good morning' in too cheerful of a way... My point is that I was in a really good mood. Anyways, this jolly attitude continued through my first 2 massages, however after my second massage I was informed that my next client had cancelled...last minute...boo! In about 3 seconds I went from very very happy to not quite as happy. I sat around during the next while, my mood slightly dampened, I wasn't too disappointed though, I sat and read my book. As the time approached for my next client I eagerly waited for his arrival, he's a regular and it's always an enjoyable time. However, the time for his treatment came and went with no sign of him. My mood once again took a tumble... To make a long story short...er This same thing happened with one more of my clients today. So out of my 7 clients booked I only ended up with 4. For all the readers out there please please please take note, it's really important to make it to your appointments and if you can't, call and cancel as soon as you know!

Anyways, now that I'm home and have had some time to chill I realize that if I let my mood be determined by others I'm never going to have a day without mood swings. My goal is to let that morning smile last all day and I encourage the rest of you to try that as well, life is good!

That is all!

Shoot The Moon

So, it's been a while since I've posted but boy has it been an exciting two weeks! So last I posted I was preparing for a few interviews and was ready to be shipped off to fun in the sun down in good ol' AZ. Well I did secure a job the day before we left which was AWESOME! I'm now wrapping up my first week at 2nd Avenue Family Chiropractic and am LOVING it. I had some doubts while in school that I wouldn't be good at massage and that I would hate it but now that I'm out of retail and actually in the field there are perks that I enjoy more than I had anticipated; I can come and go as I please (to a certain extent), I have my own room which I can decorate in whichever way I wish, I have a receptionist to does stuff for me, and I actually have been getting clients!!! Anyhoo...it's an exciting stage. :)

On another note, our trip to Arizona was amazing. We spent 7 days with 20ish wonderful friends from all over the world! The reason we made our trek down south was to witness the wedding of two great friends that I met while attending bible school in Sweden 3 years ago. The wedding was absolutely beautiful, I feel so honored that both Ben and I were invited to come. I just love meeting up with my bible school friends, even if we haven't seen each other in 6 months or however long, we kinda just pick up where we left off and it's like we were never apart, not to mention, there are so many places that we have an excuse to visit. Another point worth mentioning of the trip was that I managed to secure a pretty intense sunburn and have been peeling my nose off one flake at a time since...I think the peeling may finally be coming to an end.

Life is good! Nothing else to report! Oh yeah, our wine is almost ready to be enjoyed! Post on the Oscars in the making.

On the most overblown 'holiday' of the year...

...I'm thankful for:

• My husband who I wouldn't trade for the world, and who I love more than the day I married him.
• A family that loves each other and likes to spend together.
• A roof over my head.
• A passport that is on its way!!!!
• The means to be able to take a trip to AZ to see a bunch of wonderful friends this upcoming week.
• Great friends who I can have fun with and yet have serious time too!
• A world of opportunities!