Photos a la C.

Chelsea loves taking pictures. Unfortunately, the camera needs to face her, so the flash goes into her eyes. I thought I'd share some of her latest masterpieces.

Isn't she beautiful? ;)

Letting Go...

Sometimes as a parent, you just have to let go. No matter how busy you are, or how long your to-do list is, there are sometimes when you need to put yourself aside and put your children's happiness first. It's times like these when you ignore the dirty dishes, the messy kitchen, the livingroom that needs to be picked up, the vaccuming that needs to be done, or whatever pressing matter is at hand. You put all that aside to do a Thomas puzzle for the hundredth time, to read a Winnie the Pooh story for the 73rd time that day, to play Jump-jump, or to sing Itsy, bitsy yet again and again and again. It's worth it though, to see their smiles and hear their "love you's".

Well yesterday, I put it all aside and did just that. I was busy doing dishes after a day in the kitchen and all of a sudden I had a little girl pull up a chair beside me and repeat, "water, water, water..." I tried to let her play in the water, while I finished dishes next to her but that didn't work for long. I was getting too wet and frustrated that I wasn't getting much done. So I stepped aside and let her just play and play and play. I got out the mop and would occassionally just mop around her knowing it was messy, but she was having fun. I finished doing so much other work and she was blissfully happy just playing in the sink. Chris walked into the kitchen and commented on the mess, and I said I'd take care of it. Mopping the floors and doing a bit of extra laundry was well worth how happy she was. Here's a few pictures of my "letting go".

Kinda like 16 things, only more random.

Sometime I think in facebook statuses (statusi?) and because I can't change my status every ten seconds to reflect my true thoughts, I present to you:

Amanda is...

- blogging in bed. Should be sleeping - it's late and there's school tomorrow and I've done nothing to prepare, but I've got too much going on in my head and I'm hoping writing down some thoughts will make room for sleep.
- still feeling very unsure of who she really is. There has been a lot going on lately and for some reason, my self esteem has taken a huge hit and I just can't seem to bounce back. I'm my own worst critic but I feel that's how the world is looking at me right now too. I feel awkward and unsure a lot, and that's not who I am. Where did Amanda go?
- done with winter. I can only handle being holed up inside for so long. I miss the freedom of going outside. The days and evenings with a toddler are so long when you must be inside.
- wishing I wouldn't have checked the weather for tomorrow. -43 gets my hopes up, even though I know, without fail, we will have school tomorrow.
- envious of her friend's perfectly round, basketball baby belly. My baby seems to have made friends with my lovehandles and invited some extras over for a big party and I'm just along for the ride.
- craving Big Macs all the time. I've only had 3 this pregnancy, but I would eat them everyday if I weren't afraid of the lovehandle-party taking over.
- annoyed that Chelsea picked keys off her keyboard. Most of them have been fixed and reattached, but 'v' doesn't work very well and I have to press the spacebar harder. It really slows down the typing.
- wants gel nails in the worst way. I think people with gel nails always look so put together. Normally I have nice nails (at least I think so) but lately they've been breaking. I really want pretty gel nails but for some reason I'm not sure I'm a "put-together, gel-nail" kinda girl.
- wondering why on Earth I agreed to make 4 cakes in 4 days this week?? Seriously - what was I thinking??
- desperately needing a hair cut and colour, but isn't sure she wants to pay for one right now. I'm cheap and I know it.
- needing shoes. I have one pair of boots and one pair of shoes. Despite what others may think about said shoes, I love them. I've had them for years and I love them. I love wearing them and I know they aren't cute, but I like 'em! I'm hesitant to buy new shoes because with Chelsea my feet swelled so much and then after I was done my pregnancy, I had to get rid of all my shoes because they no longer fit. I don't like wasting like that, so I keep holding off on shoes. Hopefully flip-flop season is just around the corner. Oh and I have terribly wide feet so finding shoes is virtually impossible anyways.
- sad that Chelsea is sick again. Her cough is so bad and she isn't sleeping well, so we aren't sleeping well. It doesn't make for a happy household.
- finds smells overpowering right now. Today in church, I could barely hold it together because I could smell body odor on someone in front of me. It was so bad, I apparently had a grimace on my face for most of the service. Of course, this is the one time I didn't have any scented lotion or lipgloss in my purse. It was horrible. I barely heard the message because I was trying to figure out how to survive.
- just noticed that Chelsea took all her bath toys out of the bathroom and put them in the hallway but I'm too tired to go pick them up. How much you want to bet that I regret this later and trip on them during the night?
- loves having an ensuite bathroom. LOVE. 'nuff said.
- burnt her arm while baking a cake tonight. Little burns and cuts always hurt more than big ones!
- wishes she could wear comfy pants and barefeet to teach in. Life would be so much happier then.
- sad that my family lives so far away. The idea of having a new baby and Chelsea would be much easier if I knew my family lived close and could help out.
- excited about a photo-wall I'm putting my house. Now if only I had the time to complete it.
- thinking the fanny pack was such a great invention. I wish more people would wear them. No having to worry about purse straps or setting your purse down and forgetting to pick it up. Everything right at your fingertips. And they came in such an assortment of colors too. ;) Okay I'm just teasing. It's time for bed now. G'night.

sixteen things...

Stolen from Heather. 16 random things you want to know about me.

1. I like matching things. I would love for everything to match. All my teatowels, all my bathtowels, my silverware, glasses, cups, my furniture, everything. When I find something I like, I want to buy it over and over.
2. As soon as I walk in the door, I take off my shoes and socks. I can't handle wearing socks. I leave them around the house. There are usually at least 3 pairs of balled up socks in the kitchen and livingroom.
3. Further to #2, I always need my toenails painted. I can't handle seeing my bare toenails. I feel naked and think my feet look ugly. Thus, I have polish on them always.
4. I have a hard time shopping. When I was in university, I felt too broke to shop for nice clothes. Then I got too fat for nice clothes and settled on buying whatever fit. Once I started losing weight, I was able to fit into nice clothes, but was (and still am) completely clueless. I'd love for someone just to show up at my door (or changeroom in a store) and say, "Here! These are what you need."
5. I hate knick-knacks. I like clean lines. In my house, you'll see a few plants and picture frames. I want to like them, I do... but I just haven't found any that I like!
6. I don't like celery, but I force myself to eat it because I know it is good for me. I'm not sure why, but I'm convinced that celery is this super vegetable that I need to eat, so I do.
7. My favourite movie is and I'm pretty sure will always be Aladdin. Sure, Top Gun is a close second, but I still love Aladdin.
8. I don't like baking cakes, or doing the prep work. I really only like decorating. Same with painting - hate all the prep work, but love the actual act of painting and the end results.
9. I hate sleeping in hotels or other beds that aren't my own! My bed isn't anything special, but I love my blankets and the sounds of my room and my body pillow. I don't sleep well in hotels.
10. I love having people over. I like hosting and cooking and serving.
11. I'm obsessed with white teeth. I brush all the time and have to force myself not to use WhiteStrips too often.
12. I'm envious of tiny feet and pretty shoes. I have platypus feet and can never find cute shoes that fit.
13. I have a hard time relaxing without feeling guilty. I always feel like there's something else I could be doing or thinking about things that need to be done.
14. I'm addicted to Diet Coke. I have to limit myself to one a day and it's hard.
15. I love being pregnant because I love feeling the baby move inside. There are no words to explain how it feels. I'm in no hurry for this pregnancy to end. 19 more weeks of baby inside!
16. Last one! Although I claim that I have no attachments, I really do love Maggie. Yes, there I said it. I love my Magster, shedding hair and all.

Good night.

What to say...

Not sure what to post about, but I feel like I haven't blogged in quite some time.

- bought some cute baby boy fabric today to make some receiving blankets.
- have the big ultrasound tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing the baby again.
- cakes are keeping me insanely busy. I have a really hard time saying no to people and then I feel overwhelmed at the time, but satisfied when it's all done and over.
- I love Chelsea more every day. She is so much fun and so smart and I love every second of being her mommy. LOVE.
- feel really settled in the new house. I still need to have an open house/house warming, but I'm just not sure when.
- baby is moving so much. I love being pregnant and this pregnancy is so easy. Again, LOVE.
- we had our last Christmas gathering yesterday. We got new phones. This should be amazing. Our old phone was not fun anymore as it was mostly static.
- I'm not really enjoying work. I can't get into it. I feel disconnected and lost. I'm not sure how to get over this, but I need to.
- i love sleep. sleep is wonderful. i love my new bedroom and how well i sleep. i think i'm going to go to sleep now.

Baby boy!

Isn't he cute?? ;)

So excited!

Pink or blue?? Pink or blue? We'll know soon enough!

Tomorrow at 12:30. Yay!!

Oh and at the midwife's today, she said I'm measuring 27 weeks - even though I'm only 20 weeks. I'm not kidding around when I say I have a big belly!

Prreeeetttttyyyy

How much pretty can you handle?? In our house, we take all the "pretty" we can get our hands on...

... and put it on our heads!

Life. Sigh.

I'm feeling really down lately. Too many things to explain, but the main one is I'm really disappointed in how I've "let myself go" in the healthy eating/exercising department. I was doing amazing following the South Beach Diet, then when I got pregnant, I used that as an excuse to eat unhealthy. It is more accepted to eat junk when you are pregnant, especially if you throw the word "craving" around.

However, I am almost 20 weeks pregnant, and I have gained well over 20 pounds. When I got pregnant this time, my starting weight was 46 pounds lower than when I first got pregnant with Chelsea. I really want this to be a healthier pregnancy and an easier delivery and I know weight is an issue. It's not just because I want to be this "all belly" cute pregnant lady... I really do know that it is being healthy that is the goal. I don't feel healthy. I feel lazy and lethargic. I hate seeing the weight that I recently lost all coming back on so quickly. It's not all baby. It's me just giving in and not caring. I need to care. I want a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.

So, I'm not asking for people to tell me that I look great, or it's okay because I'm pregnant. I'm just writing this out so that I am accountable - even just to me. I'm not "dieting." I'm not trying to lose weight or trying to do this to look good. I'm not dumb. I'm not going to risk the health of my baby. I just want to be healthy. I'm tired of feeling guilty after I eat. That feeling was what motivated me to change in the first place. So it starts tomorrow. Day One. (That's right Jen. Day One. An actual Day One. I promise.)

:)

Maggs

A friend of mine recently mentioned that she was unaware that we had a new dog (even though she's no longer new). She didn't know that we had gotten a new puppy when we had Belle put down a year and a half ago. We got Maggie a few days after losing Belle because Chris really needed a replacement. Now, Maggie is no Belle (Belle was my baby for 4 years...) but I can't neglect that she is now a part of the family. So, in case you didn't know, allow me to introduce...

Maggie.

Shaggy Maggie.

Maggs.

Gee-gee.

May-Nay.

May-May.

Geege.

Chelsea's most recent pronunciation - May-NEE!

and well, a few other names probably not appropriate for public. ;)

Chelsea's law

Why, my darling daughter, when we want to sleep in, do you without fail get up at 6:30 - 6:45 am?

But, on a day like today, where I need you to be up and ready to go, are you still sleeping at 7:45??

I love you, but can we see more of this action on a Saturday??

Brrr... cold.

Chelsea was begging to go outside on Friday. She put on her winter boots and kept saying, "Side? Side?" so I convinced Chris to take her outside while he shovelled the snow. He bundled her all up and a few minutes later I look outside to see this.
She was having a blast!! Good idea, daddy!

For my mom...

When mom was out a few weeks ago, she primed and painted the ceiling and primed the walls twice. They were an ugly red colour, but the red was on the ceiling and the trim too. So we had to prime and repaint all the trim and the ceiling.

I'm proud to say though, it's done! The colour is Benjamin Moore's "Raindance." I like it.

Now it's just waiting for me to haul out the baby stuff and well, the baby!

PVO Love.

Reason #84 why I love pembinavalleyonline.com....

Look at how cute these table and chairs are. I posted a wanted ad for kids table and chairs.

Guess what I paid.

$25.

$25!!

Love it.

2008

A not so quick recap of '08.

January - Chelsea started to walk along walls and furniture, and even started crawling on her hands and knees instead of doing her army crawl. My parents came out for a few days and we started finishing the basement. Big month for me. On January 31st (so I guess this could be considered Feb), I started the South Beach Diet. I was tired of always feeling self conscious and avoiding the camera. Pictures like this one below made me sad. So I decided to make a change and I did. Losing weight and becoming a healthier person is definitely one of the things I am most proud of for '08.

February - I started this blog. We dealt with Chelsea getting a pretty bad ear infection, and me developing a rather large bald spot. :D That's a big secret I told only a few people. I'll share now, because my hair has completely regrown. See - bald. I was traumatized. I got over it.

Chelsea turned 9 months and was introduced to her new best friend - "the soo." Since then, these two have become inseparable. March - By March, I had lost about 25 pounds. Chelsea was learning to walk, taking more steps daily, but we were still struggling with more ear infections. I also left Chelsea for 8 hours and went to the city with Chris. This was huge as I was still BFing and had never left Chelsea for that long before. We both survived, imagine that!

April - I was proud that I was no longer in the 200s, but in the 100s. I returned back to work, subbing about 3 days a week. My beautiful daughter turned 1. A whole year. I baked and decorated my first (of many) cakes. May - I accepted a Gr.1 term teaching position. I started taking a cake decorating class. We went with some good friends to the zoo in Winnipeg. I had lost over 40 pounds. I enjoyed celebrating my second Mother's Day.

June - I turned 27. I finished teaching at Pkld. I had to deal with a nasty ear infection and the medicine forced me to wean Chelsea. It was bittersweet. We started the summer event of playing on the driveway. Good times all in all. July Spent most of July hanging out on my front lawn with Chelsea and the DiFrans. We also went to the PC Beach. July was by far one of the best times I've ever had. So relaxing, slow paced, and enjoyable. It was good good times.

August - August was spent celebrating anniversaries. Chris and I had been married for 5 years and my parents for 20 years. We went away to Elkhorn Resort for a few days to celebrate. Chris rode a horse for the first time. A beloved member of our family went to doggie heaven (or the dump, one of the two.)

September - We finally finished the basement on Chevy Drive. We were finally able to clean out the garage and park one vehicle in there for the first time since January. I started teaching again - full time. I dealt with some major guilt issues going back to work full-time. Chelsea got some good rug burn on her nose. October - Need I say more? Most of October was spent like this, as I was too tired to even think straight.

In October, I reached my lowest weight ever, having lost 64 pounds, but was unable to shake the last few pounds before finding out I was expecting. Oh well, it'll happen soon enough. A picture of me with the cutest little pumpkin.

We also bought a house, and put ours on the market. Keeping a house show-clean is no fun at all.

November - an absolute blur. Report cards, MCC school kits, parent-teacher interviews, painting, packing, moving... it was a busy month for me. Chelsea and Chris just hung out.

December - Which brings us to now. We're mostly settled and adjusted in the new house. I've been loving my holidays, spending so much time with Chelsea. I'm not sure how I'm going to adjust to only seeing her for a few hours a day again. I'm also not sure how I'm going to survive working full days without sleeping in or naps.

Alright, this entry is finished in just the nick of time. I wish you all a very happy new year filled with many blessings!