Ladies Retreat

Today I registered for the Ladies Retreat at our Church. Honestly, I've been putting it off like crazy. But its one of those things I think is important and it keeps coming up and I keep having people ask me if Im going. And I keep saying, "Mmmm, I dont know, our life is so crazy right now." And in all honesty, things are crazy around here. We're moving in just a few weeks, we have tenants moving into our place the same weekend that the ladies retreat is. I also have a ton of cleaning to do, (2 homes not just 1 now!) before we move in and before our tenants move in. But isn't there always an excuse as to why we shouldn't do something? Why we shouldn't take an evening off to get out with girlfriends, why we shouldnt take a weekend away with our spouse, not enough money, etc, etc. Andy told me I need to go away on this weekend a few weeks ago and I put off registering for weeks now.

Well this morning I registered. Someone asked me if I was going, and I said "Well I probably shouldn't because we have waay to much going on right now." And I feel very serious about that. But why is it that I dont think Andy can handle doing a walk through with our tenants, and taking car of Eli for a weekend so I can get away, find myself, and find God once again?? He is more than capable.

Im registered now, and kind of freaking out about it. I have way to much going on to go away. Excuses, excuses. So, Im going. Im going to the ladies retreat. Im going to be completely out of my comfort zone, I dont know too many ladies, and I have too much going on in my life, but I may not have this opportunity for awhile if I dont take it now.

So if your a mom, and your thinking you need a break, and your using every excuse in the book, I think you should consider taking that trip, or getting away with your husband, or going on that ladies retreat, you need to take the chance. Dont worry about whats going to happen at home if your not there, or the money, take the time!! Do it!

20 Weeks - Half Way there... already

Iam 20 weeks pregnant today. I need to post a picture, but I just havent had the energy to take one. Funny how so much other stuff becomes important. We got a head start on packing (as Im sure I mentioned before!) so things are coming along good. That being said, Im starting to feel pregnant, and starting to get the itch of planning things. Planning a nursery, finding a car seat, finding a stroller, getting the move done and over with... all that type of stuff! On top of everything else, I feel like my brain has been fried. I think its baby brain, but honestly I feel like its gone! I cant think straight, or there are times where a simple word in a conversation wont come to mind, or shopping in save on this evening I knew what I needed but I couldn't get anything straight, or find the isles I need in an order that made sense! And believe it or not there are other stories and examples of me loosing my brain but I cant remember them. Go figure.

My sciatic nerve has also starting acting up. I never had this pain when I was pregnant with Eli, but this pregnancy is a whole different story. If I move a certain way it sends piercing pain down my butt and my leg, only my right leg/butt cheek though. Then sometimes it won't bother me at all, and come on out of no where. The joys of being pregnant.

One thing Ive been thinking a lot about is a car seat. We still have awhile, but Im trying to find sales. 1) Because Im cheap, and 2) because our baby will probably spend less than a year in a baby carrier. Seems a little crazy to send $200 + on a car seat, and then more on a stroller. I had looked on Kijiji for a used car seat, but car seats are one of those things that are not the best to buy used. So maybe Ill keep my eyes peeled with people that I know. Might be able to get one from someone I know & trust. Anyone out there?? Or if you have any suggestions of how I can get my hands on a half decent baby carrier for a good price... Im all ears!! All the baby gear sure adds up!!

So here is some info on my pregnancy this past week & I know I owe you guys a picture. Ill get on it!!

• How far along? 20 weeks 0 days
• Total weight gain:4 lbs
• Maternity clothes?  All bottoms, yes. Still wearing most of my regular shirts
• Stretch marks? None new that I can tell, but who knows!
• Sleep: Still not too bad. I usually get up around 5:30am to pee, and at that point my stomach hurts because Ive waited too long.
• Best moment this week:  Drawing with Eli on the whiteboard a picture of our family & new baby, and then him asking for us to draw baby the next day.
• Miss Anything? A nice cold beer, or a glass of wine. Just because I cant have it, Id love a glass.
• Movement: Starting to feel more and more. Mostly when Im sitting and quiet.
• Food cravings: Im on a strawberry kick right now.
• Food aversions: I dont want anything with meat, which is too bad because the iron is so important... this is something I need to talk to my midwife about.
• Gender: Boy.
• Labor Signs: Uh no...
• Symptoms: Sciatic nerve pain, stomach is starting to get itchy
• Belly Button in or out? In for now
• Wedding rings on or off? On.
• Looking forward to: Being able to start a nursery and get settled in our new house
  
  
  

Jobs around the house & a sleepy toddler

There has been a snowfall warning this weekend, so Eli & I have been staying warm at home, apart from going and getting groceries.

Yesterday, I decided we'd spend the day out and about and Eli would not have a nap.We hung out at my sisters place for awhile and then went out to my parents. Eli & my dad played outside for close to 2 hours, and I thought he might fall asleep on the drive home. Well he certainly did. Within 15 minutes of being in the car he was out. Generally, he wakes up once we go to pull him out of the car, but not this time. Andy was home already and came out to get him. When he pulled him out of the car, he didn't wake up. Nor did he wake when Andy sat down on the couch holding him like a baby. I decided to run out to home depot (more on that later!!) to return some stuff and pick up a few things. When I came home, Eli was still asleep, but laying on the couch. Andy said he tried to wake him but he wouldn't wake up. Apparently, all that outside play really tuckered him out.

Since we have to get a bunch of stuff done around the house, we decided to tackle one of the jobs. More Andy than me, but I did help somewhat! New lino in the bathroom & back entrance. When we (actually Andy!!) replaced the back door we (actually Andy!!) found that the floor was all rotted out. Great. So we (Andy!) had to fix it and now we are putting the new lino down.

Here are a few pictures of our job. Ill post the finished product when we are officially done!

 Bathroom with the old lino ripped up.

This stuff sure is sticky!

 This is the old lino in the back entrance, before I pulled it all up!!

There is the new lino in the bathroom and the old in the back entrance

More pictures to come soon!!

Family Day Weekend

This weekend has been very productive and relaxing.

For those of you who looked at the below pictures of our little baby bean below and guessed... BOY. You are ... RIGHT! We are having another boy. He was busy during the ultrasound gave the technician a bit of issues getting a good profile picture, but finding out the sex wasn't too difficult.

Yesterday morning we got up had a nice family breakfast and then started working. We packed and cleaned, however I feel like my house is in total disarray. Guess thats all part of moving. We packed quite a bit to get a head start and it feels really good. Moving shouldn't be too difficult. We've rented a U-haul and on the day of it should only take one or two trips over to the house to get it all there. After working so hard yesterday though Im feeling totally tired and burnt out today. Which was alright because we had a great family breakfast with my family at my parents place! All the kids, plus some aunts and uncles made for a great day!! You cant go wrong with home made (from scratch!!) eggs Benedict either!! We hung out at my parents house for most of the day, then came home to relax.

This evening we were lucky enough to have my aunt come over and babysit Eli so we could go to a movie!! This was a well needed date, and my aunt was happy to be with Eli! Such a blessing! We went and saw the movie The Grey. Kind of a depressing movie, but really interesting!

So far its been a good weekend, and we still have one more day off together as a family, and a short week. Nothing better than relaxing, and spending time with family. 

Ultrasound - 18 weeks & 3 days

So we had our ultrasound bright and early this morning. I filled my very small bladder up, and was so uncomfortable I had to go pee before I went into the room. I started feeling like I was going to faint, so something needed to be done. When I got in there, she took one peek on the screen at my bladder and said "Oh yah, your waaaay too full, maybe go empty.... mmm all of it." I said, "All of it?" She said, "Yah go empty your bladder." So I didnt mind that, alot more comfortable for sure! It was quick and relatively easy. One of their tech's called in sick so they were scrambling to recover from that. I guess they called our house to re schedule my appointment but we were already on our way there. Too bad, hey?

 Some of you might already know what we're having, but how about I let you be the judge!! Tell me what you think we're having. The very last picture is the gender picture.

Midwifery appointment #2 & Valentines Day

Last night I had my second midwifery appointment with our midwife Cathy. Honestly, I cant even say enough how much I feel blessed to have a midwife instead of a doctor. I can ask as many questions as I want, take as much time as I need, and its so comfortable! She is awesome! Andy and Eli came along as well, as its something she even encourages, and having them there was great too!!

I'am about 18 weeks right now, and so far everything seems good. Im measuring good, and she didn't have any concerns with my lack of weight gain. She said as long as Im eating, and have an appetite thats whats important. Andy and I also met with a doula a few weeks ago, and have hired her. We are excited to have the chance to have a doula, and I think having her as well as a midwife will make this whole experience even better!

This week marks the end of the long stint Andy has done with work. We are counting down the days till the weekend, and he actually decided to take Friday off to spend with us! 4 day weekends are the best, especially when we haven't had any weekends together for the last 2 weeks! I was supposed to have my ultrasound next Friday but decided to move it to this Friday so Andy wouldn't have to take more time off next week. With buying a house and looking for tenants, we need the paycheck right now. I dont think a 3.5 day paycheck would cut it. So on Friday morning bright and early (we need to be there for 7:45am! Which is my own fault because I said whatever time they had we'll be there!!) we should get to see our little person. We're hoping to find out what we're having but because Im only 18 weeks, Im preparing myself to hear them tell me they dont know. In that case I dont think Andy would be down to actually pay for an ultrasound to find out the sex... maybe, I doubt it though!

Because today is Valentines day Andy decided to pick up groceries and make us supper! Ham & cream sauce cannelloni, with spinach salad and bread! I even had a non alcoholic beer! He is such a good cook when I step back and let him take control (which I need to do more often!) and it was such an incredible treat to have supper made for me, especially something we've never had before! Totally was better than getting over priced roses!!

Im counting down the days until we have the weekend here. Ill keep you posted on how our ultrasound goes, and do another tummy pic soon!!

Onward we go

Eli has come down with another viral infection. Winter is a bad time for it, so it doesn't surprise me but its still frustrating. It started with a cold and then moved on to his bowels. Poor, kid. Lots of rest and lovin I suppose will take care of this one. My concern though is that it could be an ear infection which is causing the diarrhea. If it hasn't stopped by Monday Ill take him to get his ears peeked at.

Things around our place are a little crazy right now. Andy is still working but his long stint is almost over and we cant wait! He came home tonight and at supper Eli said, "Daddy I missed you. So did Mommy!" Precious kid. On top of the busy life of work and taking care of a sick kid, we have officially bought another home! Yesterday, the conditions dropped and we get possession of our new home (which is actually just down the road from where we are!!) on March 15th! Its just crazy! Im super excited and nervous as there is almost more for us to think about. We also now have the task of finding renters for our place which is proving to me a bit more difficult. Originally I posted our add before everything went through and had a ton of replies and requests to view it. At that point we were ready to show it because we didnt know what was going to actually happen. Our realtor suggested we could raise the rent of it, so we did by $100, and now we have only had a few replies. So if you know anyone looking to rent a little duplex in Sherwood Park, let me know. Its a great location, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, finished basement.

So thats that! Now to start packing and getting rid of stuff we dont need! Im happy that Ive been in the nesting stage for awhile now and I started getting rid of junk months ago. Remember my organizing post? Great feeling to have that stuff done!

Magnetic Make up Board

And here is the finished product!

Here is how I did it!!

I bought this frame from the Dollar Store. It was $2. I originally didnt mind the color but decided to spray paint it.

Home Depot had pieces of metal for cheap, but luckily for me, Andy called when I was shopping for this piece of metal and told me he had some at home... including some cutters to cut it to size! So he did cut it to size for me, but if you have to do it yourself head to home depot, cut some cutters to cut metal and cut it to size. I also got some spray adhesive from home depot. Then off to fabric land, got some cheap fabric for $3. Once I was ready to assemble the fabric to the metal, I sprayed the back side of the metal flipped it over, and stood on top of it. Then I cut around the edges. I didnt trim the fabric too short, but just short enough that it would fit into the frame but not be too bulky. Then I popped it into the frame.

Gluing the magnets to my make up was a little bit time consuming but not too bad. I bought some round magnets (which werent very strong!!) from wal mart, and a glue gun. At first I just glued one magnet to the back of each make up piece, but it wasn't strong enough, so I doubled or even tripled on some of them. This made it stronger.

If I was to do it again, I would get a larger frame, and pick a different fabric. I think the fabric looks like its an army print once my make up is on it. The larger frame would be nice as well so it doesn't look so full/congested. I think this would make great gifts!! If you have any questions let me know!!

DIY time

Eli & I ventured out to run some errands this morning. We've had a crazy busy week with all the house stuff, phone calls, inspections, etc and I've been feeling like my brain is just a tad fried. Last night I went to a course about being a landlord, and it was a very full class with tons of information on being a landlord and having renters. I feel like we're a bit more equipped to have other people live here!

Tonight we have to finish up the inspection & meet with our lawyer and our realtor as well. Sheesh, nothing like really being an adult when you buy a home, or have 2 homes I guess. Being completely honest, Im totally scared but super excited that we're so blessed to be able to do this. Right now however, I feel like I need some sort of distraction in my life. I came across a DIY blog and this lady made a magnetic make up board. I havent been able to stop thinking about it, and decided Im going to attempt it. I went to the Dollar store this am, to pick up a few things (why not start as cheap as possible!!) and then off to home depot and the fabric store! I knew the hardest part would be at the fabric store because its a fun place for a 2.5 year old to run around, and with the height of Eli & the height of all the fabric its like a maze for him and me to find him. I rushed to find some cheap half decent fabric but it'll do the trick! Im going to start it this afternoon and Ill let you know how it goes. Here is the picture of the ladies magnet board that she made, not sure if mine will look as nice but we'll try!! I think its a very neat idea!!