Reality Check....

It's been 3 years since I last "blogged" - I was talking to nobody, unlike the character from "Julie & Julia" (one of my fav movies by the way). Alot can transpire in 3 years. My daughter will be 5 on Dec 15th of this year - when I read my old blogs I couldn't believe how time had passed so quickly, my daughter was no longer a newborn or a toddler, she was a little girl who now had her own opinions and thoughts on life. This makes my husband get weepy but he'd shoot me if I ever told someone that...whoops! My bad! But I got on to this old site because of a good friend friend of mine, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She too has "blogged" but at least she has comments on her blog - and that's completely justified. Being diagnosed with breast cancer warrants that, a blog about a new mom is just another walk in the park. Sore nipples, using a breast pump that suctions the life out of your boobs, blah blah blah - really is that all that bad in the scheme of things? Having a doctor tell you that you have cancerous cells holds more weight than complaining about nipples that feel like they're going to fall off. This is what's called a reality check. Luckily Vic has only good news to report at this point, early detection (through being a hypochondriac) has led to beating this ugly disease, like that saying goes, "better be safe than sorry." Two lessons I've learned from her experience - 1.) Live each day to the fullest and 2.) fondle yourself (if you're a woman....actually go for it guys as well, whatever toots your horn). I was 37 at the time and felt a strange dull sensation in my left boob, and my doctor was quick to say that he felt the "40 and over" mammogram was a crock of s*** and that many women can get breast cancer before they hit 40. The fact that I told him it was a dull pain made him book me in for a mammogram, which turned out fine, but I was just happy to know that I had someone who saw outside the box and risked making the appointment "to be sure." Doctors can create a new and better path, only good doctors that is. But also the person themselves who can read their own bodies, and actually go & have a specialist look further. I'm so happy for Vic, I'm sure she's getting a new outlook on life that most of need as a gauge on a daily basis, for when we think we're bogged down or maxed out, there's a reality check that should really make us appreciate and not criticize. But I do deep down think she's still a "beeaaaccchhh" for having comments on her blog & zip on mine. :)

Where did that waistline go anyway???

It disappeared before my eyes overnight. I always thought that it would be a gradual thing, but low and behold, it happened very quickly, among many other changes as well. The weather had started to become "summerlike" in mid May, and normally I would have liked to be active and do things after a day at the office, but not that May. I literally went to work, returned to my apartment, ate dinner and fell asleep by 8:30 or so...I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got home from work, I could not lift a finger let alone contemplate using the pool in my building, which was not like me at all. On days where I had slightly more energy afterwork, I would read pregnancy books, but usually I would make it through only one chapter and then my eye lids would win the battle. I was lucky though, to have such an amazing man beside my side, who took care of me and actually made me believe that I still looked the same and that my waistline hadn't changed that much. Yeah right... and my backyard wasn't getting bigger either.
Thinking back, that month was very non-eventful. Aside from a weekend kayaking trip to Gabriola Island (must have had a spurt of energy that weekend) normally weekdays consisted of work, eat, read, sleep and on weekends, sleep, eat, walks, read, and the odd outting to a movie or visiting friends and family. But June proved to be a much more interesting month, whew. Not only was it the last month of the first trimester, but Michael and I decided to go on a road trip and our only two goals were to relax and have fun. My brother gave us a "timeshare certificate" to use at the Fairmont Hotsprings, and off we went. We drove through many small towns to get to our final destination, and once we arrived in Fairmont, we were pleased with the accomodation. This was numero uno for me, I looked at a bed and its bedding, in a whole new light. The bigger the better....i'm talking about the bed, not me.
Michael managed to play golf at three different courses, one without me, and the other two I drove the cart, we had some laughs with that. Next stop was Montana, where we cycled through the old trussel bridges. I was distracted by our fun that I forgot about pregnancy, which looking back, was a good thing. Sometimes it's a breath of fresh air to not think too much.
Our last stop was a summer resort town in Idaho - I can't even remember the name of it now, can I blame my memory loss on post pregnancy??? Probably not 17 months after the fact. We took the kayak out and went for a nice long paddle on a sunny day, our goals were met - we were relaxed and having fun.
The end of June I began to feel "normal" again. Not as lethargic as I had been the previous month, and I accepted the fact that my body was changing. Little did I know that six months later I would endure the biggest change of all, more about that later. Next up, "I need a Blizzard and I need it now"

Mother Nature isn't always so nice...

I know I've promised to write about another new stage of pregnancy, however I felt it was appropriate to dedicate this piece to my dear friend Jen, who has had to terminate her pregnancy due to medical conditions of the baby. This has made me think, things don't always turn out the way we want it to. We don't think the worst will happen, but the truth is, it can. For some of us we assume that we get married, have a healthy baby, and maybe have another. (In my case, have a healthy baby and then get married!) Whichever order you go about, do you really assume that Mother Nature will be unfair to you? I must admit that I never did. In my first trimester, I was too busy rushing home from work to crack open one of my twenty books on pregnancy, than to worry about a "what if." I think back to the chapters that I skipped. I remember thinking, "That won't happen to me so I don't need to read it." One of those chapters featured information about "C-sections" and low and behold, I wished I would have read it! But that turn of event does not compare to the many unexpected and heart wrenching situations that some expectant mothers have to face. My husband and I are lucky, I can't forget that.
I will post a picture of the healthy baby that Jen and her husband will have in time, and I know she or he will be the most cherished and adored baby (aside from our Myah of course!)

"The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up"

Joke of the Month...

A schoolteacher was doing a study testing the senses of first-graders using a bowl of Lifesavers. He gave all of the children the same kind of lifesaver one at a time and asked them to identify them by colour and flavour. The children began to say: "Red..................cherry" "Yellow...............lemon" "Green................lime" "Orange...............orange" Finally, he gave them Honey flavoured Lifesavers. After eating them for few moments none of the children could identify the taste. "Well" he said, "I'll give you all a clue. It's what your mother may sometimes call your father." One little girl looked up in horror, spat hers out and yelled,"Everybody spit them out - they're assholes!"

Planes, No Trains and Automobiles...

Hi again!

Before I continue on with the segment about the dreaded waistline transformation, I thought I would paste my "Postcard Story" contest piece, where it was mandatory that the submission be 250 words.

Travelling via car & plane with a baby can be stressful for parents. At the end of the day, the baby just seeks the simple things in life!

Hope you like it!

BABE IN MOTION


“Come on! It’s too early! Why are they waking me up in the middle of the night for Pete’s sake?

They have turned on the main light, something must be happening. It cannot be too serious though, she is looking down at me with sparkling eyes and singing a song…and he is…he’s dancing! Imagine the nerve! I am lying here in a wooden dungeon, sleep deprived, and these two are celebrating? On top of that, she is tone deaf and he does not have the beat at all! What is a fourteen month old to do? Sleep, that’s what! And why are they fussing so much over something called a plane?
Here I go! She is lifting me up and oh! The dreaded wet sloppy kiss on my cheek! When she stops doing that it will be my turn to celebrate!
They are talking back and forth quickly. How many cups of coffee have these two had already? Speaking of drinks, I wonder where my bottle is...

A long time has passed and the day keeps getting more strange! Why are we sitting with all of these people and moving slowly? This MUST be a very big car! Wow! What is that noise? And why is he holding me so tight on his lap?
The car is going up a VERY steep hill now! My ears hurt! Oh but wait! Here is my bottle! Forget the big noisy car, this is what I have been waiting for.”

Lord love a duck!

I'm pregnant! Am I really or is that "Clear Blue Easy" stick telling me a lie? Well I'll just be sure and take another test. Hmmm, positive again. I guess with these results and the horrific nipple pain I feel right now, I'm thinking the stick is not telling fibbs. What power this thing has. I instantly went from a career driven, after -work wine tester to a responsible mom-to-be within seconds. Wait a second, isn't there some kind of prep course that I can take so that I can get my head around this in my OWN time??? Apparently not. And oh no, I had a few rum and cokes last weekend at a birthday party, will this affect my.....my....I can't even say it! BABY is the word I'm trying to think and say but it's just not coming easily! Does this mean i'll be a bad mother???
All of these thoughts were going through my head right after I took my pregnancy test - do you know what my boyfriend (now husband) was doing while my head was spinning in the bathroom like in the movie the "Exorcist?" He was watching his beloved "Star Trek." From an outsiders perspective, you would naturally think he was being unsupportive. But in his defense, I literally walked in my apartment, headed straight for the bathroom, and away I went. He probably wished he was on the Starship Enterprise at that point. Eventually he did come into the bedroom where I was sitting on the bed like a deer in headlights (hopefully it wasn't on a commercial break, or at least I wouldn't like to think so)
At this point you are aware that our pregnancy wasn't planned. But know this. Every second thereafter our "discovery" there were many months of nothing but planning and it was the most thrilling and memorable time of our lives. For the mother who was not expecting to expect, it is the biggest surprise they will ever receive and one they will always cherish. For the mothers who are or were anticipating a pregnancy, what better gift could you receive? The second time around for us (late spring 2007 if all goes well!) my husband and I will fortunately be able to experience the latter, anticipate a pregnancy and savour every moment of planning and excitement. Either way it shouldn't matter, having a baby is an amazing thing whether it's planned ot not. Yes it is scary for new moms, but you would be surprised at how you, yes you, take this on as if it was the most sacred project on earth, there is no room for errors (or so you'd like to think). But the truth is you make many mistakes, some I have laughed at, others I was reluctant to even tell my husband about! (details about that at a later date!)
I love to write, and I look forward to writing about my stages of pregnancy & post-delivery, the trials and tribulations, the laughs & tears, (more laughs than tears fortunately!) - comments are welcome so please dive in! Otherwise I will be back with the next segment, "Where did my waistline go???" :)