Finally

Finally after a long time, at least it feels like a long time I’m back doing some of the things I love. Last night I took my second ballet class of the summer, and I can’t explain how much I have missed it. I spend most of the fall last year in ballet class and teaching pilates. I gave up ballet just because of scheduling and then after my accident I had to give up teaching pilates.

Last night was amazing. True I couldn’t do the jumps that I love, or a lot of turns. Better safe than sorry and I would prefer not to have to take pain killers after what’s supposed to be an hour of fun. It was great to get back to the barre and do the basics. My technique may not be as good as it was when I was dancing 40 hours a week, but I hazard to say that I enjoy it a bit more. I love not having to have perfect technique and the fact that I’m able to just dance for an hour, but still work on getting back to my technique.

The other thing that starts soon is that I can finally get back to teaching pilates. I am so excited to get back in the gym and to the girls (and few guys) that come to my class every week. I may not be able to do the class the way I used to right away. I probably won’t be able to do pilates work for an hour straight, but I am allowed to go back and teach. I miss that so much! I miss hearing about how sore people were the day or two after the last class, or hearing that they are able to finally get through a sequence with a little more ease, or that they’re finally able to do one of the harder moves with ease after weeks of practise. I can’t wait to get back in the gym.

Well off to a meeting I go.

 

 

Morning Sickness

This past weekend we had the great opportunity to celebrate with our friends C and J as they started their lives together as man and wife. I had worked with C for almost a year to perfect wedding invitations and programs and we were so happy with the end result.

Well C and J’s wedding was about an hour and a half drive from where we are in beautiful wine country. An hour and a half drive that ended up taking about 2 and ¾ hours, most in stop and go traffic. This wouldn’t have been such a bad thing except that I wasn’t feeling well at all.

The books all say that morning sickness gets worse around 6 weeks and then usually subsides around 12 to 14 weeks, so of course right on track, the day we go to the Dr’s for the first time, I’m feeling worse than normal. And that just continued the next day on the road to the wedding.

I have been nauseous before, trust me, Demerol after jaw surgery without the gravol does not make J very happy at all. This was not that bad but it wasn’t peaches. I think it took about 40 minutes to finally get calmed down with lots of wheat thins and deep breaths. The stop and go traffic did not help out at all. I really hope that this doesn’t happen every day and every car ride for the next 6 weeks. I’m not sure I can stop on the way to work every morning or home from work.

Morning sickness sucks, but I wouldn’t trade it for all the world. I know that this little babE growing inside me is healthy and happy, and that’s what really matters. I can suck up the next 6 weeks or 34 weeks if that’s what I have in store.

 

babE's New Home

B and I had planned on redoing the spare room in our home and turning it into the future children’s room. So the process actually started back in May when we move everything around so we could redo both of the rooms upstairs.

We had our office with all my scrap stuff, and B’s computer and all our files and records in the one room, and then the spare bed, and all our wedding gifts that don’t have homes yet in the other room. So in order to get the house ready for little ones, we had to move everything around. We moved my scrap desk and all my scraping stuff to the basement as well as B’s computer and our office files. So we could paint the ‘office’ so we would have a new guest room. So that room got painted, and we – well B – moved everything from the spare room into the new guest room. And we went to work on the new babE’s room. We had made the decision on what we wanted to do months before hand. Well I decided what we were going to do and B like it so we went with it. But it took a lot of research and time figuring things out. So during our week of vacation at the end of July we decided to get to work and get as far as we could on the room.

This meant ripping out the carpet so we could put the wainscoting in, and prep for the new floor. I can’t stand carpet in kid’s rooms, just a disaster waiting to happen, so laminate seemed like the prefect replacement. And then getting the green on the walls above the wainscoting. And I did none of this. B’s a bit over protective, and I’m not allowed around the chemicals and smells of paint or any of the hard work. Of course this is the week that we told all 3 sets of parents, so when we started on Monday my dad had no idea the news he was going to get that evening. But we started Monday morning anyways with putting the wainscoting in, and after 2 mornings working hard, there are 3 pieces left to do and the topper, and then the floor. Well and the painting of the wainscoting, but I think that if B works really hard for a weekend or two it will be all done. Well after Dad get’s the last 3 pieces and topper done. Thank goodness for parent’s who have amazing crafts and trades.

 

Ladder of Love

We’ve been working hard at turning out house into our home. We’ve done a lot to the most trafficked parts of the house. We painted the main floor and kitchen, and put in new floors. We re did our bedroom and made it our own. So now that we’ve got those done we’re moving on to the guest room and future kids room.

So how does a ladder play into this. Well if you’re a bit more patient I’ll tell you. This week my task was to get the primer and the paint on the guest room so that we can move everything from the nursery into the guest room to start working on it. The more daunting of the two rooms. So I went and got everything ready to start painting, including getting B to move the heavy things upstairs. So after 2 days of painting I went to move the ladder to the hallway to make room and realized that I had gotten a bit of pale daffodil paint on the ladder. Kicking myself a little bit, since it was B’s Christmas present last year, and this was the first thing to get on it. But this brought me to the realization that those ladders at my dad’s house with every colour of paint on them are ladders of love. That ever splatter of paint is from a project he did for us with love. Painting my sister’s room all wacky colours for her, or ripping off wallpaper and painting my old room a nice pink and green even though he didn’t love the colours. Painting the main floor of my childhood house the week before my sisters wedding because my mom had a nightmare that her dress looked green in all of the pictures because of the wall colour. And then painting our new house, the house we built for him. The red paint from the trim in my new room; the Raspberry fizz of his new office, just to please my mom. And his ladders have splashes of these colours all over them. A reminder of all the colours he’s put up and the projects he’s worked on for us.

So while working on making our house our own, I may have accidentally put a little paint on the ladder, but I’ll always remember painting that room, and have that splotch to remind me of our first house and the yellow room that will build memories for us for years. The room that my mom will sleep in when we bring our babies home from the hospital, the room B’s sister will sleep in when she comes down from Ottawa to meet our kids. So although our ladder isn’t  in pristine condition anymore, we’re building our memories and our ladder of love one paint colour and project at a time.

 

 

 

July 12th,2010

Most people who know me, know that I can be a little impatient; Well a lot impatient for some things. So after the way I’ve been feeling and what’s been going on here in the E house, I decided that I would be impatient and take a test.

Well that hopeful feeling was right. I’m pregnant! Two lines and all. Wow! I stared in shock and awe for a minute – and then grabbed my phone. B’s 1500 miles away for work, so I can’t just run up and hug him. But I couldn’t not tell him and wait until he got home on Friday. It’s Monday and he just left this morning. So dial the phone, two rings and a “Hi Babe”.

I wish that I could have seen his face, that’s the only thing that would have made this better, but as much as I wish I could have waited until he got home on Friday, I know that it would kill me and I needed my best friend to know. I mean it is going to be our secret for a while, at least another 10 to 12 weeks.

So now all the planning starts. I have to call the dr’s and get a referral to my OB/GYN. Thank goodness we’ve been planning for a bit and I’ve taken advantage of kijiji and have bought most of the maternity clothes that I’ll need. We have a crib to look at when B’s home this weekend.
I’m so excited, but still a bit flabbergasted. Is it really for real? Am I going to be a mom soon? March isn’t really that far away. My sister will have someone to share her birthday month with. Am I doing the right things? How am I going to be feeling? Will I be okay in the next few months? Could my boobs get any bigger!! B’s going to love that, but will I?


The next few weeks will be hard to keep quiet! I hate keeping secrets! But I’m excited for the day we can tell our family.

I’m pregnant! I really am. And I couldn’t be more happy!

Our Journey

From the day B and I got married we knew we wanted to be parents. I knew B would be an amazing father when the time came. I knew that God had blessed me not only with a great husband but also with a great father for our future children.

B and I have been waiting for the right time to start our family. The first year we were married we spent a lot of time apart due to B’s job and him working all over Ontario. When B was finally home for more than a few weeks at a time we needed to reconnect as us before we could even think about starting a family. And then job changes came for me, and a new adjustment period of a new schedule.

So now almost 2 years after we’ve been married we’re ready for our family to start. We just spent an amazing week in Mexico for vacation just reconnecting and relaxing, and we came to the realization that we were finally really ready.

We’ve always been open to starting our family, but we also knew there was a wise time for us to start. When we’re able to financially support our family, and emotionally support our family. A time when B and I knew that our relationship was more than strong enough to stand up to the trials that come with being parents. That we could be an example of a good healthy loving relationship for our children to look up to.

So we’re starting our journey to start our family. For the two of us to become 3. for our love to create someone else for us to love.

Appreciation

Sometimes I think I take B for granted. Not that I don’t realize how hard he works for our family, or how blessed we are to live where we do and have the family that we do. But I take for granted how much he pays attention when he seems to be so aloof.

If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE scrapbooking. I love being creative and creating cards and layouts that I can have forever or give to someone. But sometimes I think B takes it for granted a bit. I work for hours (literally) on a card for his mom’s birthday, and he’s like “oh that’s nice”. Well, my opinion totally changed in the last few weeks.

B and I have started thinking ahead to when we start to increase our family (don’t get excited mom!), and decided that we will need two bedrooms upstairs, one for the kids, and one for a spare room. So subsequently we need to find a new home for my scrapbooking desk and storage and B’s desk and our office. So to the basement it went. Now this is not an easy job. I have a huge, gorgeous desk that my daddy built me, and then a pantry full of stuff, and then more stuff on top of that. I can’t believe how blessed I am to have so much stuff.

The move went in stages. We started with all the stuff from around the room, and then moved the furniture and then the rest of the stuff. So after everything was in the basement we started organizing. I can’t do a lot of heavy lifting because of the car accident I was in earlier this year, so I was relying on B a lot more then I usually would. While during the process of deciding what goes where and what should go or be donated, B finds some post-its that I had used for a specific technique. I told B that they could be tossed, and his response was, “well what if you ever want mask again”. Seriously – did you just use the right word for that technique? At that moment I realized that B does really pay attention to what I’m saying and what I’m working on even if he looks like he’s just watching sports.

That moment just confirmed to me that B does pay attention and he does appreciate all the work I put into cards for his family, or layouts for our family scrapbook. I just have so much more appreciation for B that he really pays attention to what I’m doing and my hobbies. I love knowing that he actually gets it.

So after two weeks, well not quite two weeks, the basement is finally in order and my scrap desk is ready to use. And use it I have been. I’ll post the link to my scrapblog when it’s up and running for real.

 

Ten Years

Ten years ago I received one of the most precious things I could ever own. Not because of it's physical presence or value, but because of the emotional value and heart behind it.
My Grandmother was such an amazing woman, with a giant heart. She may not have been the overly emotional Grandmother giving hugs and kisses all the time, but I never once doubted how much she loved my mom, and my family.

I loved celebrating birthdays with her; she always put so much thought and care into giving the perfect gift. Not just something that you asked for, but something that she new you would enjoy or benefit from.

Ten years ago I received my second last birthday gift from her. I had been looking forward to my 16th birthday for years. You see for my sister's 16th birthday she received her first string of pearls, something she would have forever and always treasure. So I knew that I would be receiving something just as special, and I did.

For my 16th birthday I received a gorgeous sapphire and diamond ring, something that I have worn every day for the last ten years. My birthstone isn't a sapphire, but hers was. And to set a pearl on tiny hands like mine would not look elegant, the way she always did.

This birthday gift was the hardest birthday gift to ever receive, because I knew it would be the last one I would ever get from her. She has suffered a series of strokes in the month before my birthday, and was in the hospital not doing too well. She passed away a month after my birthday.

It's so hard to believe that ten years ago I was 16. Young, naive, never been on a date, or kissed or in love. And today I'm married to a man that I love with every fibre of my being.

I wear my sapphire every day as a reminder of who my Grandmother was, and how I can only hope to be as amazing and elegant, and stoic as she was. So even though there are some scratches and it's not as shiny as it was ten years ago, I figure every scratch helps me get one step closer to being like her.
Ten years has passed a lot faster then I thought it would.

**for those wondering, the last birthday present that I received from my Grandmother came on my 21st birthday. My Grandmother always wanted me to have her pearls, and so for my 21st birthday my mom gave me my Grandmother's pearls. The same pearls that I wore walking down the aisle to marry my best friend.**

 

Infinity times Squared

B and I often have this debate:

 You can’t times infinity by squared.

It all started when we would try to quantify our love for each other in silly ways. I love you 6 bushels and 27 pecks, well I love you this much, the long way around the world; the galaxy; the universe.
 So as a math major I totally understand that this equation isn’t possible.

 ·  ² 

 I understand that this equation is completely unsound, and you can’t multiply something by the power of 2. But let’s think about this for a minute. Infinity is a concept, not an actual number, so to perform any mathematical operation on it is futile. You’ll never get an answer; it will always just be infinity.

I get that this isn’t mathematically possible, but when I say this and B has this look on his face, it’s worth being silly for just a minute and forgetting everything a university degree taught me.

For me, in the silly, non-serious moments of our relationship I like to express my love for B in silly ways. Right after a huge tickle fight I’m not going to look at B with lots of love in my eyes and say

B You are the love of my life, and I can’t believe that I get

 to spend every day with my best friend

That emotion and sentiment is more appropriate for more tender moments, not right after we spent that last 40 minutes laughing and wrestling to get the right tickle spot.

I love you  ·  ²  !

I love you to the moon and back!

I love you one billion red M&M’s!

Those are the I love you’s that go with a tickle fight.
So as much as I understand that the whole thing is mathematically unsound, and impossible, I’m going to keep saying it.

 So B – I love you  ·  ²  ! and I always will.

 

Thursday, May 20, 2010