Family Photos

We headed down to the river this mornig to take some family photos before the baby arrives.

Here is Emma sporting her Dad's Oakley's

All the fall colors are so rich and beautiful...

Fall truly is my most favorite season!

Dann & Emma striking a pose with a nice background.

More of a silhouette shot, I kept this pic as a color shot, as I loved the trees and reflection in the background!

We decided we needed some belly-shots with this pregnancy as well...

When I was pregnant with Emma, we hired a professional photographer to capture the moment,

but this time, we figured we'd just take the photos ourselves.

Not bad for a couple of amateurs!!!

I am glad we decided to take the photos, as it was a beautiful day, and this turkey of mine is almost done. Besides, one never knows if he will make an early appearance!

P.S.

There was another pregnant lady who down at the park when we were there. She is due one week before me, and her belly looked like mine did at 6 months (Yikes...)!!

Funny Face

Although this photo was taken in May while we were visiting Phyl & Ian in Kelowna, I thought it was worth blogging. Emma was so cute and creative using the chair as a pair of glasses. I guess her Auntie Phyllis really brings out the "Kooky" in Emma. Emma still talks about her visit with her Aunt & Uncle and of course, Sydney ("Stay down Sydney")!!

Brrrrrr.....

Brrrrr.... it's cold!! Needless to say my dreams of an Indian Summer are pointless, as Old Man Winter came a knockin'!!

Yesterday morning we woke up to a wind storm, along with heavy rain. As the day progressed, the snow flakes started to come down. By the time the snow hit the ground, they melted thus no snow accumulation on the ground (thank goodness).

Over night was another story...

We woke up to a light skiff of snow on the ground and very cool & damp conditions (much like the West Coast in January). I can only hope that Old Man Winter is just playing a mean joke and our nice fall days come back, after all it is only mid September!!

Emma on the other hand could not wait to get outside this morning to play around in the snow. Rowena could not get her outdoor clothes on fast enough and Emma was darting out the door. Emma did not even fuss about putting on pants this morning, that's how excited she was about the snow!!

End of Summer

Here is a photo of Emma and her friend Darby, enjoying one of the last real hot days of summer. You can tell fall is in the air this past week. Although it has been sunny through out the day, the mornings have had that nip in the air, just to remind us that the days are getting shorter and the snow will be coming. Hopefully a little later than sooner. I am holding out for a long indian summer!!

Although the "Wal-Mart" swimming pool was a hit this year, I think the girls had way more fun with the sprinkler, as seen below!!

On a different note, Emma has been playing "baby in my tummy". Below she poses with her baby lamb under her dress. She told Dann and I that her lamb would be born in 2 days!! She always tells me to feel her tummy as the baby is kicking. I put my hand on the hump and she moves her hips forward to make her tummy move. Then Emma gets really excited and says, "see mommy, my baby kicked, just like my baby brother!" I am not sure who is more excited about this baby being born, me or Emma??!!

This and That

Emma wanted to play doctor and listen to the baby's heart beat with Dann's stethoscope. She was very excited to put the cold end on my belly and listen... to nothing. Unfortunately, we were not able to hear the baby's heart, just a bounch of swishing noises. Emma still thought she was pretty clever, and called herself "Doctor"

This is a photo of Emma and her cousins, Natasha and Taryn. They were here last weekend visitng, and Emma was in her glory to have two older girls to play with. I think they all enjoyed themselves!

First Day Of School

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Emma has been talking about going to school for weeks now and as the day got closer, she would tell you the exact date and who her teahcers are. Needless to say she was very excited until a couple of days before. On Saturday she told me she did not want to go to school until she was 5 years old. I encouraged her, building up the teachers and all the little kids she will meet and play with. This did not seem to work, so I got her excited again by telling her that she got to wear her new jean skirt and shirt the first day. Emma's excitement was back. We laid her new school clothes out the night before and she woke up at 6:30 a.m. to put them on. She came into our bedroom all dressed, hair brushed and clips in. Emma bounced around the house waiting for 8:50 a.m. to come around to leave. Well, at 8:45 a.m. the excitement wore off and she was in tears telling me she was scared to go to school. I gave her lots of hugs and kisses, ensuring her that mom or dad will be there to drop her off and pick her up, and that it was only 2 1/2 hours long. This did not seem to help, and we left the house with her crying, holding her stuffed kitten tight.

By the time we arrived at school, Emma had stopped crying. Dann met us there and we all walked into the school together. Emma was somewhat calm again and was excited to sit down at the play-dough table and start creating. I gave her a kiss and said bye, and the water works started again. I knew she would cry, so I had to be brave and walk away. Dann stayed with her for a couple more minutes and then he too had to depart, leaving Emma in the capable hands of "Kerry & Doreen" (her teachers). The fear in her eyes was very evident, but I knew within minutes of our departure, she would love it (just like day home etc. when she was younger).

Dann and I went back at 11:45 a.m. to pick her up and Emma was the happiest little girl on earth. She loved school (like there was any doubt). They read books, played in the gym with the parachute and plastic balls, got a sticker for her heathly snack, and played with all the toys. Emma cannot wait to go back!!! My little baby girl is all grown up!!

Big Boy

Dann and I headed to my ultrasound appointment yesterday and everything went well. My placenta has moved up into place, so no worries about a c-section at 37 weeks. The tech stated everything looked really good. Of course, it was hard to see much as there is not a lot of room left inside. One minute you could see the spine, then just the head, but never the whole body at one time. I asked the tech how big the baby was at this point in my pregnancy? The tech did some calculating and then stated that the baby is bigger than normal for 34 weeks.

The tech went on to say that the baby's weight is 6lbs 5oz (approximately), as of yesterday ...YIKES!! Everything I have ever read states the baby gains the most weight in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy (averaging between 1/2 pound to a full pound each week). With that said, I still have 6 weeks to go, thus if I carry to term he will be well over 9 lbs... can you say DRUGS!!

The photos seemed appropriate.... BIG BOY!!

Officially Off Work

I went to the doctor yesterday for my regular check-up. My doctor is on vacation so his associate was filling in. The new Doc intorduced himself and asked me how I was doing? I told him I was tired, uncomfortable, my feet/hips hurt and looking to be done work. He just smiled and said, but you are only 32 weeks! I corrected him and said "just shy of 34 weeks" (but who is counting... hahaha)!!

The doctor listened to the baby's heart, which was good (150 beats/minute) and he measured my belly, which was fine. Then he said, "I noticed your blood pressure is up - 146/64 (it has never been high, with Emma or otherwise) and there was protein in your urine." Of course I knew that's not good. The Doc told me he was concerned about onset of pre-eclampsia, thus he wanted me to go to the hospital for blood work and a non-stress test. So before I left his office, with everything he just told me, I asked him again to put me on medical leave from work, to which he answered, "no, I think you should wait for your regular doctor to do that." I must have sounded desperate when I stated, "he's not back for another 2 weeks!" I went on to say that I am on my feet a lot of the day at work, dealing with the public and their problems, interviewing clients, blah blah blah! He looked at me funny and said, "are you really on your feet for most of the day?" I said, "yes." He still was not going to budge and recommended going to see my family doctor.

Anyway... on my way to the hospital, I stopped off at my family doctor's office to make an appointment and his office was closed (he is away on vacation too... UGGGHHH!!)! As I drove to the hospital all I kept thinking was how I could send my medical form to Dr. Rossouw in PR so he could sign it (sure do miss him and that close relationship)!!!

I arrived at the hospital and waited 50 minutes at patient check in (way too many people, not enough staff), then I was sent to the lab for blood work. 40 minutes later, 2 tubes of blood were drawn and then it was up to maternity for the non-stress test. Surprisingly enough, there was only one lady in labour, thus the nurse was able to hook me up to the machine right away and I sat for approximately 30 minutes listening to my baby's heart beat, his movement, and then he got the hick-ups, which was loud on the monitor (it was fun to listen to). The nurse took my blood pressure again, and it was 121/70. The nurse was satisfied that the baby was fine and she liked all the movement etc (he was not under any stress). She asked me for another urine sample, so they could check for protein, thus it was off to the bathroom. My urine came back fine, no protein. The nurse asked me to wait as the lab was processing my blood and she wanted the results back before she would release me. As I was waiting, the Doc poked his head into the room I was in and passed me my medical note. He said that he thought about what I said, and it probably would be best if I was not working anymore (I guess he needed a few hours to wrap his head around my desperation and my health). My blood work came back and it was fine... so who knows why my blood pressure was up and who knows where the protein came from. The doctor will be montioring this and of course I have to watch for the symptoms of pre-eclampsia just in case. That brings you all up to speed on me and the baby.

On a different note, when I went for my sugar testing (the orange pop drink) 2 months ago, I saw an ad in a magazine for these cute baby shoe charms. I fell in love with them, so I took note of the designer's name: Aaron Basha and thought I would look up his website. Needless to say, my expensive tastes have not changed over the years. The charms are "silly" expensive (over $2000 American). What I thought were rhinestones are diamonds set in white gold!! Hard to justify getting one for each of my children, but I still love them. If you want to check out all his charms etc, the website is: www.aaronbasha.com

36 Years Young

My 36th Birhtday this past week was low key but perfect in every way. After a long day at work, I came home to a traditional Philippineo birthday dish, which consisted of noodles, chicken and vegtables. I do not know how to spell it's name in philippineo, so we'll leave it at that. It was tasty, but the carrot cake to follow was even better (cream cheese icing)!! Rowena (top left behind me) and her good friend Vangie (beside Emma) helped us celebrate, which was perfect (Vangie also brought me flowers... how nice).
Dann and Emma bought me a "Birthday Tree" which we planted in our backyard. It is a little small this year, but I am sure within the next year or two, it will grow leaps and bounds. It is a "Showy Spruce Tree" and the fall leaves will be red and orange, which are my favorite fall colors.
After a great day, Emma wanted to take a photo outside our front door kissing her baby brother... she is very excited about his arrival!!

Garage Sale

My parents arrived last Thursday evening to give Dann & I a hand with our garage sale. We organized all of our junk Thursday evening and Friday, and the sale was to start Friday afternoon around 4:00 p.m. People were showing up by 2:45 p.m., thus it was a crazy afternoon. There were lots of ladies and many of Emma's baby clothes and toddler clothes sold like hot-cakes.

I did not take any photos of the numerous tables filled with our garbage, but I am sure you get the idea!!

Our Garbage...

Amazingly enough, our trash was someone elses treasure, because by the end of the second day, 90% of our items were sold. We had a few big items which sold (rug, futon & bike), but the rest of the money made was on Emma's clothes and miscellaneous clutter. We did very well and only took one bag of clothes and one box of junk to the Salavation Army Thrift Store.

Someone's Treasure

The best part of the sale, aside from the $$$$, was how uncluttered our basement, storage room and garage became! Dann and Dad spent Sunday and Monday cleaning up the garage and organizing. This made Dann so happy, until Dad found a little friend who was trying to set up a residence in an electrical outlet in the garage. Lucky for us and not so lucky for him, the "rodent" met his maker as he got electrocuted trying to build his house.

Dann was freakin' out that a mouse might have become our newest family pet. After we took a few photos of the friendly feller, Dad turffed it over our back fence into the big open field.

I was going to name him "Mickey", but then thought that might cause some unnecessary questions with Emma.

Cool Web Page

Hey everyone... here is a cool web page:

www.snakesonaplane.com

For those of you who may have received a phone call from Samuel Jackson, and did not know where it came from... check out the link.

Dann and I had hours of fun with it.

A Weeks Worth Of Bloggin'

It's been a while since I posted something, so I figured I would sum up the week!

Here is some food for thought... have you ever seen Orange Cauliflower Head?

We were shopping in Save On Foods last weekend and saw one. I have never seen an orange cauliflower, so I bought one, wondering if it would taste different? Well, it tastes the same, just looks sexier in the bowl!! I took a photo of it, for those of you who have never seen such a "pretty" cauliflower head!

When Emma is not busy swinging, bouncing, reading or playing dress-up, she enjoys helping Rowena (and me) in the kitchen. She insisted on washing the dishes after dinner all week. Hey I am not complaining, as I know it won't last forever. Heck, the time she's a teenager, I will probably have to beg her for help in the kitchen!

This weekend the "RCMP Musical Ride" was in town performing. We thought we would bring Emma to watch the show. She really enjoyed watching the horses and loved all the Mounties in their Red Serge.

We managed to get some great photos of the different formations, but I only posted a couple of them.

Emma had fun after the show at the "meet & greet". The kids loved being able to walk up to all the horses and pet them etc. We even got to go to the barn/stables afterwards and watch all the members brush down the horses, polish up their leather and then give the beauties a snack.

Emma was so excited when she got to feed "Sassy". The handler got Sassy out of her stall, and walked her over to Emma (just a couple feet away), but instead of leaving the food on the palm of her hand and offering it to the horse, Emma threw the food at the horse, which landed in a pile of hay. Sassy of course is looking at Emma like... "Hey, that was my treat you threw away!" It was pretty funny, and Emma did not see the problem in it at all. The horses are huge, so I did not really expect Emma to let the horse come down to her and eat off her hand. She really enjoyed the whole experience.

Emma also managed to collect some of the Musical Ride police cards, which she was excited about. I think she will remember this outing for a long time to come!

Finally... today we headed out to do some shopping. Emma decided on a flower dress and a head band. I thought she looked so cute, I had to take a photo before we left the house. She is growing up so fast, it's hard to believe some days!

This and That

Here is what "Baby XY" is looking like these days. He is growing large and it is getting a bit tight inside. I still feel him move around and I get the odd kick through the day... more at night. He lets me know in the morning that he's hungry with a few good kicks, but after breaky... it's lights out!! I must say he is not as active as Emma was. Maybe this means he won't have "Red" hair and he'll be a bit more mello...

Those of you who were around when Emma was born can appreciate what I am saying!

A couple of weeks ago we were in Edmonton for Maren & Brooklyn's Baptism. Dann was Godfather to them both. Unfortunately, I had to step down as Godmother as I am not Catholic, and this is a requirement within that religion. No big deal, as Dann and I will always be there for these two special little girls!!

Emma was playing downstairs while Dann was busy with the renos. She has taken a new liking to her blue tutu, which is suprising, becasue she lives for pink! She decided to put some wings on and be a "Ballerina Ferry". The imagination never stops.

There will be some more "Before" & "After" photos coming of the basement as Dann started there a few days ago. He is on a stretch of 5 nights, so not much will get done. Oh well, we take it day by day. Eventually it will be completed!

Bathrooms and more...

BEFORE

The old basement bathroom was a pinky taupe color with a cheap sink...

AFTER

Dann put in the new sink & cabinet, white wainscotting and painted the walls a light caramel brown color (Bluff). The digital camera did not really pick up the true color of the new paint.

I accented the room with light sea blue towels, rug, and a flower photo with the sea blue in it.

Overall, we are very happy with how it turned out!

Dann worked hard, and it shows!!

Now we (Dann) will conquer the basement TV area and Rowena's bedroom!

BEATING THE HEAT!!!

Emma decided she had a new way to beat the 35'C weather... some might say she is a bit weird, but I figure what ever works!

She thought she was pretty funny and also figured if she washed her hair outside in a bucket, then we could skip that part at bath time (she is always thinking).

BEFORE & AFTER

Dann completed the baby's room,

thus here are the "BEFORE" photos....

"AFTER"

I found this stencil while I was in Powell River (thanks for the tip Helen).

We really love how it turned out!!

The photo of the window is a bit dark, but I think you can get the idea. We are still going to hang up white shelves above the change table and put up some finishing touches.

Dann made the bottom moulding, put up some chair rail and then prime/painted it white. The upper portion of the wall is a light teddy bear brown colour. I love the colour, Dann is trying to warm up to it (he says it looks mustardy... I think his eye surgery effected his visual on colours)!

I am pretty lucky to have such an awesome handy-man for a husband!!