Spring has sprung!

I heard geese flying on Sunday morning, the air feels fresh and crocuses are coming up in my garden. And, today I heard FinneganV, our squirrel. Why Finnegan? The first time I saw a squirrel in my back yard was the day Mr Dressup passed away, so in honor of the show I dubbed the squirrel Finnegan. My neighbor August, does not like squirrels, as they tend to take up housing space in his garage, downspouts and once, his kitchen. Thus Finnegan V, as I thru IV have met their demise. I had the unlucky and rather alarming experience of finding Finnegan IV dead in my front flower bed last summer. I was weeding, and nearly picked up....you get the picture. We'll have to buy some peanuts for our furry friend, and hope he stays around for a bit.

Today I had my 21 week OB appointment. I had my ultrasound last week, and since the U/S techs can't really tell you anything, I've been nervous about finding out if everything is normal. I know that if something was really wrong that they would bring in a doctor, or send you right over to your own doctor. Anyway, I shouldn't worry, because my doctor said everything looks really good, and that I am doing just fine. The baby is still measuring about 4 days ahead of where I am supposed to be, which my doctor says is normal. My blood pressure is still fine, and all my tests are coming in normal as well. So why do I worry? It's because as soon as you become pregnant, the "Mom" gene kicks in and you worry. So 'Peanut' is fine, and has a strong heartbeat of 145-150 beats per minute, and was very busy when the doctor was trying to find the heartbeat. (Normal heart rate is between 120-160 bpm) This kid is going to keep me on my toes, if it's activity levels now are any indication of activity levels once it arrives!

Bryan started a new job yesterday, working for an industrial mechanical (ie plumbing...) company. He came home dirty and tired and sore, but I think he's happy to be out working after a 7 week hiatus. I'm going to miss having an 'house-husband'...I'll have to make my own lunch now.

Going on a double day with Mom and Dad tonight, dinner at their place and then to a movie, as they have some extra passes.

Hello all, been a while, lets see if I am out of practice. Lots has happened since I last posted; Carrie has had her 20 week ultrasound, and it went very smoothly. We went to the lake last weekend, and were welcomed back to the city by finding that we had a record snowfall. The car got stuck trying to get into the garage, thankfully we had little issues with getting it out; I had more difficulties with the shoveling of the nearly foot and a half of snow along our paths.
Let's see what's been amusing the past while, oh Carrie came into the kitchen the weekend before last, smiled at me and said, "Look honey I'm barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen." On the drive to the lake, she looks in the rear view and says "...the man behind us has the worlds smallest penis." Seeing that we were previously talking about music, that really threw me, I had to ask, pardon? Explanation, F150 with a lift kit so huge that the truck must have been at least 10 feet to the top of the cab. I could picture in my minds eye him getting in by the oh shit handles and that breaking and him breaking as he fell.
Tonight, I see Leo come into the living room, a piece of blue ribbon hanging from his mouth, and proceed to chase him; even went so far as to ask Carrie to stop him when he came round again....Wasn't going to happen. Guys, don't ask your pregnant wife to leap off the couch to catch a cat, I should have known better, I do now. Anyway, I caught him, and proceeded to take the ribbon out of his mouth, pity it was attached to the 2 feet of it he had already swallowed. Sorry Leo, but it had to be done.

Well that's all for now, the 20 week ultrasound went well and we are both very pleased and excited, will chat more later.

Change is good, I guess....



This year is going to be one of great change I think...

Besides the baby, the biggest change of all, there are a few things going on. My dad has officially retired - he's on contract until June, and then he's off to smaller, but better things. My mom is still going to work, but part-time. They may be looking for a new home too, so my childhood home may not be there any more. The lake is still my favorite "home" and that's not going anywhere, so I guess I'll be ok with Mom and Dad moving. They are looking in our area, so having them close will be nice. (Not that MillWoods is far away!) Knowing that they have more time off when I am on maternity leave will mean that they get to see the little one quite often.

Craig is still deciding where he wants to be in the world - I hope it's here for a while, or at the very least, on this continent. I should be used to him living in other countries by now, but it's still best when he's here. I would love for him to share the first year of Peanut's life - they grow so fast, and he's so good with kids.

My good friends Ike and Amy (aka The Frog and Thong...it's a long story...) are moving to Norman Wells, NWT for 5 years. Ike has taken a new job with Esso, and Amy's moving up there to join him. I'll only see them a couple of times a year, as they will likely use a couple of their paid flights out to go see Ike's family in England, or Amy's family in Southern Alberta, or another one of their tropical adventures. I will miss our jaunts to Shopper's Drug Mart to get 'points' and see what item Amy decides to buy in bulk... I know we will have email, but they are going to miss seeing Peanut grow up. I will have to send lots of pictures.

Other friends seem to be missing in action, and I don't know why.

This will be the first year since I was 15 that I will not be working. I'm not sure how I will handle that. Being a mom is a full time job, but I will miss the adult contact I get at work. My mom suggested joining one of the Mom's-Day-Out groups at one of the churches in the neighborhood. She did that when she had us, and said it was a nice break from all things baby. So we'll see.

Dad and I will be off at the same time, so I can forsee a few Grandpa adventures this fall... Grandma adventures to follow, as Mom is still working a bit. We'll see how long this lasts, as I'm sure she won't want to get up to go to work while Dad does his things at home. I give it until January, but only time will tell.

Here's what happens when you throw a catnip mouse at a cat that, as my father says, "Doesnt' give a rip about anything..."

Adventures in dining out...

I promised Bryan a steak dinner once I had rejoined the world of those who can eat normally. Tonight I decided that we would go out. We both like the Outback, so that's where we decided to go. Off we drive to the south side location...Bryan runs in while I park, and then meets me back outside to say that the wait is an hour and that there are 25 people waiting in the entrance. Hmmm, where next? The Keg! We pull up there, and do the same run-in-while-I-park thing. This time, there is an ambulance parked in front of the door, lights flashing...Bryan comes out of the restaurant to tell me that the wait is even longer! 1+ hours. (My theory on the ambulance is that someone else had made the tour de steakhouse like we did, tried to wait it out and died of hunger before they could be seated.)

So we decide to try Montana's. Only a 20 minute wait there, so we decided to eat there. The food wasn't bad, but not the steak I wanted from Outback either. The steak was fine, but the baked potato was kind of cold and they forgot one of the side dishes and that arrived cold too. Even more strange was the cloth napkin...it was kind of cold in the restaurant, so I thought that was why it felt a bit cool. I didn't want to say anything, so I sat and ate my dinner and chatted about this and that with Bryan. At the end of the meal, he asked me "Is it just me or does your napkin feel strange?" We then figured out that they were actually wet! When they washed them, they were not dried properly, so we both spent dinner with a damp napkin on our lap...not saying anything to the other so we didn't sound silly commenting about a napkin...

Don't even get me started on the table of teenagers next to us...I may be getting older, but the way I was raised, good manners are never out of style. These kids (they were talking about science class, and which liquor store might sell them some vodka, so I am assuming they were still in high school) used some pretty profane language, yakked on their cell phones and belched loudly all through their dinner. Nice! Since the waiter was about the same age, there was no way he could have said anything to them. At least Bryan couldn't hear much - the advantages to having issues hearing things in crowded places.

Mom invited us for dinner tomorrow, and has offered to indulge me in my current pineapple addiction. I can't get enough of it right now - this kid will come out with spiky hair just like a pineapple top! I have asked her to come to my 20 week ultrasound. She has never seen one done, as they really weren't used when she was expecting us, and I thought it would be neat for her to get a peek at her grandchild before anyone else does! I can't wait!

Well lets try this again, just lost my first post entirely.
Anyways, today we had another O.B. appointment, and off we went, once again I found myself in possession of several of Carries' garments, this time her coat and scarf only; as I waited shoeless (we had a veritable ton of snow in the last day or so and they had a sign on the door to please remove soiled footwear). And after a short time the doctor came to fetch me, and off I went to a little room, to hear for the first time, my babys heartbeat.
All in all a wonderful day, or, the usual since I met my lovely wife.