just a few crumbs

I know, I know ... I'm even getting flack from my dear Dad that there's been no new blogs in nine whole days!! Wow, the pressure! And I'm hardly inspired again today but wanted to offer up a few crumbs of news and random details. Probably hardly interesting to anyone, but this is all you're getting, folks!

• Just over 36 weeks now and we're into the last month, the last few weeks! So hard to believe. And though I'm wanting Baby to grow as long as he or she needs, I'm also aware that it really could be anytime now so it's a race to feel as prepared as possible. Functionally we are ready - we have everything we and Baby "need" and so I feel much calmer. My order of so-soft and so-baby-bum-cute cotton and bamboo diapers arrived yesterday, which was very exciting. I'll have to post a picture of the wee newborn sets - they are just too sweet. 
• We've settled on both names now! Shook hands on our boy's name this week and are still certain and happy with our girl's name. And to be fair, we ended up with Sam's choice for our girlie and mine for a boy. But who is it in there?? - I just want to know!
• No news from my sister yet. She'll be a full 40 weeks on Saturday and we're all wondering if she'll actually have a September baby after all. Hang in there, Beps, your daughter just wants more Mama-time all to herself though I know you and Glen are more than anxious to meet her!
• I'm working on unpacking and organizing our offices/my scrapbooking room this week. Love our new, fresh, clean, bright room! 
• Still so much to do, it feels like. Thankfully it's a long weekend coming up but my handyman husband has so much on his plate as it is so it's a delicate balance of getting a little bit of this and that done. Slowly but surely. 
• A biggie for Sam is the start of his teaching job next Tuesday - teaching Psych 101 at our local college here one evening a week. So there's been alot of preparation and anticipation in the past month for that new venture and I know he will do just fine. Better than fine. 
• I'm having a garage sale on Saturday. Yes, add that to my list. I'm just antsy to get any excess out of our house, clear some of this clutter we've had for 4 months (such as the old light fixtures we took out), and hopefully recoup a small bit of money rather than just giving it all away to Goodwill. I love purging and de-cluttering so this will be incredibly satisfying! 
• We have our hospital tour and pre-registration on Tuesday and I'm looking forward to seeing exactly where Baby will be born and what my surroundings will be like. 
• And I am loving my Doctor! We talked more yesterday about my wishes and concerns for this birth and the support I hope to receive from him and the nursing staff. Thankfully, so thankfully, Dr V is a young, open-minded man who is more than willing to allow me to labour as I wish and is very conservative in his administering of pain meds and the enforcing of "traditional" hospital policies. That alone just makes me feel so much more relaxed and confident thinking ahead to this Great Unknown, the anticipation of a first birth where everything is such a mystery.
• I'm wondering, though, will I ever write about things that aren't about Baby? Have I become that person?! Oh dear ... please be patient with me. I'll be more creative and well rounded again once things settle down a bit. Ha! ... after this, do things settle down, ever?

all about the {35}

35 weeks today. And 35 days to go. I think that's pretty significant.
Though I am certainly aware that "due dates" are only guesstimations but still it's nice to have a countdown! And a date to look forward to.

We've had an awfully hot day here today. 36 C. Which for me is way too hot. I haven't stepped outside once. Just keeping indoors and downstairs, watching a movie and keeping my massive ankles up. They're not so pretty today. Sam's been home today too, to get some projects done. We've made such huge progress ... the trim and moldings are measured, cut, painted and up in both the office and baby's room and it truly completes the room. We kept to the original look of this 100 year old house but with all gleaming and white it looks brand new. And it is, brand new. Now we can move in to those two rooms and I can feel a bit more organized in life and alot more prepared to welcome this baby anytime.

Sam's upstairs right now, putting together the dresser and the crib. Plus two tiny white chairs to join my childhood play table. And so the setting up begins. It's really, really happening now. I've been feeling much more emotional about everything lately as the reality of not only birthing this child but bringing him or her home is really starting to hit me. So much energy and thought has been geared towards this house, the buying and collecting and the not forgetting of all the baby things, finally deciding on both a girl's and boy's name, educating myself on natural childbirth, and thinking ahead to Christmas trips home and other events I need to plan for ... that I really have been in denial that we will be walking back into this house with a little person soon enough. And then what do I do? I keep getting stuck on that moment. Do all first time Mums feel this way? More than a little detached from the actual reality that's just peeking around the corner? I know I'll hear alot of "You'll do great." and "Everyone feels like that." or "Everything will be fine." and I know that's all true. But I'm still needing this time to process. To sit and think and let it all sink in. Motherhood. Parenting. Forever. Responsibility. Change. Sacrifice. Joy. Fear. Love.

{Just a sneak peek ... and no, the wee dress does not mean we know or think it's a girl!}

the cousins in the bellies meet

For our last night in BC we were in Langley celebrating Bethany and Glen's even sooner Arrival than ours! {As of today, over 38 weeks for Bethany ... no news. And Mama B's gettin' antsy!} I helped out a bit with the decorations and the all important cupcake supply, but it was the initial organizing of her bridesmaid Lauren to bring this baby shower to fruition. The cousins in the bellies finally got some face to face time, so to speak, and our Mum and Gramma were loving being able to compare our bellies and try to predict just who exactly I'm carrying in there. Since we know already that Bethany and Glen are having a girl! We all had a great time and were well showered with gifts ... me too from family! It was especially nice for Mum, Gramma, Auntie Sandra and our cousin Bailey to be there as well, to have a bit of belly time before we next show up with two wriggling, cooing, adorable wee ones. Family get togethers are about to get a whole lot more interesting! And louder, I dare say ...

cat nap

In days as hot as it has been lately and will be today and tomorrow, our little Sophie-girl can only take so much and then she's pestering us to come inside. A few minutes later, we'll find her snuggled up in her comfy bed and in a deep sleep - completely tuckered out. Sometimes she's too cute for her own good!

babymoon bliss

For 3 days and 3 nights we treated ourselves to a return to A Place By The Sea in Sechelt, BC, the B&B we first stayed at during our honeymoon 5 years ago. Our babymoon - the last hurrah before we Two become Three. And can I just say ... it was divine. The ultimate in relaxation and simply a time to be together. Alone and quiet and not beholden to any schedule at all. The Seabreeze Suite was just as lovely and luxurious as we remembered and the multiple course breakfasts brought to our room each morning was such a treat. I love fancy breakfasts and brought to my room as well? ... oh my. We enjoyed yummy West Coast dinners at nearby restaurants, Sam treated me to a mani and pedi right in our suite, we napped one afternoon away, read down by the dock each morning, watched movies, walked along the ocean, brought lunch back from Wheatberries Bakery, met up with Jeff and Shendah at her parent's nearby cottage for a fresh crab feast, watched the float planes come in every other hour, talked alot, laughed even more, and discussed baby names continuously. It was worth the 5 year wait and it was the perfect way to celebrate this wonderful, amazing, overwhelming great change we'll soon experience. Parenthood. A tangible piece of us together ... our child.

family and friends

We saw so many of our families and friends this trip back - I think we counted 31 in total though I certainly didn't get photos of everyone! From our week on the Island with Sam's family and our old Duncan friends to Vancouver spending time with Jeff, Shendah, Eli, and Allison, and then my sister Bethany's baby shower in Langley where my parents, Gramma, Aunt and cousin were all able to travel in for the event. Plus a few surprises ... Shawn making the trip to join in my baby shower surprise, Kim DeEll stopping in for a visit, and our Los Angeles friend Richard who was up in Vancouver for a course and so just "popped over" to the Island to spend a few days with us. We really enjoyed seeing everyone after a year away and can't wait to make proper introductions with Baby M when we're next back at Christmas!


Sam and his Dad soaking up the sun.



Mom M out with her two pregnant daughter in laws!



Brothers Sam and John, Nephew Hunter, and Grandad



Richard joining us for a walk down by Cowichan River.



Everything's always a competition! (I think the brothers won ...)



Girls lunch out with old friends: Sue, Joy, Cass and Lorna

32 and 34

The documentation of The Belly continues! First photo is at 32 weeks while we were back in Duncan and the second is from just this evening at 34 weeks. Somewhere between the two, I have certainly felt and noticed the growth in girth of waist, discomfort of movement and any attempts at bending, and a sharp increase of puffiness in my face, legs, and most everywhere else. Oh my. Starting to really feel pregnant now! Baby is feeling heavy now and is more active than ever and it's been quite comical and rewarding to sit and watch my belly for awhile, being pushed and thumped and molded from the inside. Still no gut feelings whether there's a girl or boy in there and so either will be a complete surprise. And either will be exactly what we were hoping for.

Today's been rather a strange and unexpected day though. Not what I anticipated when I woke up this morning. The swelling in my feet, ankles, and also up my legs more recently has been getting increasingly worse and so with my Doctor's appointment this morning I was surprised with the orders to stop work immediately. Not being able to elevate my legs at my desk job is only making the condition worse yet I wasn't prepared to be asked to go home this early. With mixed feelings, to be sure. Nice to have more time to prepare and to relax and yet I'm sorry and disappointed to be leaving so suddenly, without the 'last day of work countdown' I have been looking forward to. I had a bit of a cry tonight, after coming home from work, feeling a little ripped off and sorry that it wasn't the goodbye to my work friends that I know I needed.

Still, I was reminded by one of the ladies at work that, in coming to terms with the unexpectedness of today's events, she felt the same way about going in labor. Waking up that morning and never realizing that day was The Day. And that's just how life is sometimes, isn't it? Full of surprises.

a west coast photo shoot

There's no place like home, is there?

sometimes there are surprises in the works

We are home now. Home from our 2 weeks holidays back in BC. A very full and fun and relaxing 2 weeks - and we've both appreciated the break from work and the time together before Baby comes so very much. Not keeping my promise of blogging really at all while away {sorry!}, I now face the happy task of backtracking to the beginning and sharing all these photos ... so stay tuned in the next few days!

I had been feeling a little bit sad that there would most likely not be any baby showers for me and Baby, as we're so far from our families and our core group of friends {I know, selfish, but true}, but little did I know that there was a surprise a'brewing in the weeks before our trip! I was completely played - and even came back from Dairy Queen with a DVD in hand for us and Sam's parents in my lovely comfies and sweatpants to open the door to a loud "Surprise!!". Somehow Sam's Mom hid the fact that she was having all this company that night and my 3 girlfriends (Joy, Lorna, and Sue) said their goodbyes convincingly after we had a fun reunion lunch that afternoon. Joy and Mom M, of course, did a fabulous job of organizing the party and I was blessed to be surrounded by some of the women I've known for the past 18 years since we first moved to the Island. I know some friends and my Mum and sister weren't able to come but I was so happy to know they had been invited and were really, really wanting to join us.

Thank you so much to everyone - it was a happy 32 week event indeed!

5 years ago

babymoon (noun) : a short vacation for a couple before the birth of their child.

5 years ago this day, we were married on Vancouver Island and honeymooned at the amazing B&B A Place by the Sea on the Sunshine Coast, just north of Vancouver. I told Sam during that stay that I really wanted to come back for our 5th anniversary ... and so here we are, after planning this for a very long time and booking our same suite sometime last year! Never realizing, though, that this would be our "Babymoon", the last relaxing, 'just us' getaway before our Little One arrives next month! We have arrived today, for 3 glorious nights, and are enjoying ourselves immensely already. In fact, having a perfectly perfect day. Just now, I am looking out over the water, full of a delicious West Coast dinner, and anticipating the 'brought to our room' 5 star breakfast in the morning. And a manicure and pedicure later on. Luxury.

I know there's been no promised blogs up til now and I'm sorry for that. Well, just a little sorry. Just taking a breather and letting the days pass by while we are holidaying back home in BC without feeling the rush to document it all immediately. I may try a few photo updates in the next few days or will simply wait til we are home again. But suffice to say, we are having a wonderful time, savouring a food feast every day, seeing lots of friends and family, being treated to a few surprises (me, I am!), and relaxing, relaxing, relaxing.

But for today ... Happy 5th anniversary, Sam, I love you so much and I love being your wife!