Christmas 2009

Opening stockings in front of our new fireplace:


Christmas morning at our place. Her favourite gift was a tie between her flashlight:


And Barbie Cinderella:


Our favourite present this year (sorry it's not a great shot):


Sorry didn't take many shots, but here is one from my parents':


Opening gifts at my parents':


Opening gifts at the Smiths:


Chris and Sam at the Smiths:


Christmas has come and gone - and gone quickly! One thing I discovered this year is holidays are definitely a lot different when you have a newborn, especially a nursing one.

On Christmas Day, I woke up with a lot of pain and was afraid I would end up at the walk-in or emergency, but thankfully with the help of my many baby books, I was able to "unclog" the problem. Definitely not a problem I hope to have reoccur! Unfortunately we missed church but I was able to catch up on some sleep and we had a quiet morning with the girls opening a few gifts. We also were able to enjoy our new electric fireplace which was our gift to each other this year - our first fireplace ever - we love it!

Christmas evening we spent at my parents' with the family and it was a little crazy, but there was no formal dinner which made it a little more relaxed. I missed quite a bit of the festivities and gift openings as I was feeding Meagan and then had to deal with a huge diaper mess which took about 1/2 hour to clean up. Not fun.

Sunday we headed out to White Rock for Christmas with the Smiths. Kaitlyn really enjoyed it and the family get-together should have been called the Kaitlyn show, although Meagan got her fair share of attention too.

Ryan is back to work after Christmas but has a long weekend again this weekend which is so nice. Hopefully we will get everything organized and the downstairs ready for the kids playroom. Looks like we've lined up some free furniture from Ryan's co-worker, just have to find out how to get it here and we will be set.

I am off to have another cup of coffee. And watching the snow fall :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and the Lord's blessings to you in 2010!

Gingerbread Fun!

We decided to start a new tradition this year - gingerbread houses with the girls. Of course this year, Meagan is a little young to participate, but next year should be interesting!











Kaitlyn crashed from her sugar high shortly after and took a nice nap on the couch :)

Couple Photos...

Something Kaitlyn would never do as a baby. I just put Meagan in there awake and she fell asleep. No rocking, swaying, bouncing, Alan Jackson music (yeah, ask me about that one...). Just fell asleep on her own. What a wonderful thing.



And of course Kaitlyn had to get in on the picture taking fun. Meagan briefly opened her eyes to find out what was happening and then went right back to sleep.

Kaitlyn's Christmas Program

Kaitlyn's preschool put on a short Christmas program this week. The teacher sent home the songs with the kids a few weeks ago and everytime I would try to get Kaitlyn to practice, she would shush me and tell me not to sing. So I really hoped they were learning at school, because she was not learning at home. They had rehearsal in the morning and I stayed and watched - Kaitlyn knew most of the songs but was at first bewildered by the kid singing behind her - that kid just yelled the words and did not sing, and for the first while Kaitlyn just turned around and stared at him.

At the program itself, she had a hard time letting me leave and sit down and wanted to sit with us, she kept saying. So I was a little afraid she wouldn't sing at all and would have some stage fright. So the kids went up there and were each given a jingle bell, and I realized I forgot to tell her teacher Kaitlyn already told me at home she wanted a red bell and not a green one. Too late. She got a green one. For the first few songs, she looked very ripped off and about to cry. But then she started to sing and do all the actions - it was such a relief, but for the first few songs I had a really hard time just sitting there and knowing why she was upset and not doing anything about it. But I didn't want to be "that parent" who ran up there, grabbed a red jingle bell out of another kid's hands and gave it to my kid. But I was tempted...

Anyway, it was a great evening for the kids, and a success in the end :) Sorry the photos are not the best, but the lighting wasn't great in there.

Kaitlyn walking in:


The kids singing:

Baptism

Baptism for Meagan was December 6th and went very well. Kaitlyn was in church again and as long as she had her roll of candies in hand and was sitting beside Oma, she was fine. Meagan was great too - I'm sure it helped that I bathed her right before church which knocks her out for a few hours. My Mom held Meagan, and Ryan's Mom came out for the service as well, which was really nice. Some aunts and uncles came out and we were very happy to share the day with family and friends.

After, we headed to Mom and Dad's to celebrate some birthdays in the family, which was a bit of a gong show as it always is when we all get together, but the kids love it (when they're getting along).

Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures on the day of baptism. With all the craziness, I just didn't think about it. Here are a couple from the day though:

Meagan in her baptism dress:



Some bonding time with Dad:

Girls and Santa

Saturday Ryan had to attend a course for work in Surrey, so I decided to try and take the girls to Guildford Mall for a little while and promised Kaitlyn she could see Santa. Our Santa in town is not nearly as extravagant as Guildford's Santa with the big castle and reindeer hanging from the ceiling, and Kaitlyn was pretty excited when we got there. Unfortunately, the camera was having computer issues and we had to wait quite a long time to see Santa, and the longer it took, the more petrified Kaitlyn became. She did not even want to sit by him by the time it was her turn and became very shy. We still managed to get a picture with Santa and the girls but could not get Kaitlyn to give us much of a smile.



I'll post an entry about baptism later :)

Meagan - 2 weeks, 1 day old

Today I weighed Meagan at the Health Unit. I am a little more nervous about her weight gain than I was with Kaitlyn as I was able to top up Kaitlyn with formula due to her low birth weight. But with Meagan, the doctor has given me permission to top her up, but every time we do, she spits up - and not just a little, the entire feed. So I am exclusively nursing Meagan, hence the nervousness since you can't measure how much she is actually taking in.

Today she is 7 lb, 13.5 oz. When she was born, she was 6 lb, 14 oz and when we left the hospital she was 6 lb, 8 oz, so I guess she is doing well with nursing.

She is a little stuffed up, but overall, a content baby so far. The stuffy nose made for more awake time last night than I would like, but I am hoping this cold of hers clears quickly and we can get on some sort of nighttime schedule soon.

Here is a picture from the photo session my sister, Andrea, did the other day. Hopefully I'll be able to share more soon :)

My Two Girls

I am feeling really great today - Meagan has been eating and growing like crazy, but nighttimes have been a struggle with her waking up every 1-2 hours for a feed. Last night we turned the heat up in the house and put her in a sleep sack with an extra blanket on top and she slept from 8-12, 1-4:30, and 5-10! Actually she woke up before 10 but just babbled and grunted for a while before asking to be fed. Hopefully this is the beginning to something wonderful!! I haven't slept good in months.

On to Kaitlyn... Being able to brush Kaitlyn's hair has always been a war between myself and Kaitlyn. She will let Aunty Krista french braid her hair into 25 mini braids, but she will run and scream when she sees me approaching her with a comb or a brush. I have tried pretty much everything, and she just will not let me do her hair without a struggle.

So yesterday I bribed her with what she has been begging for since Meagan came home from the hospital.

And notice all I did was brush it and put two clips in. That is all she will let me do, and not without a fight either:

Baptism

Baptism for Meagan will be on December 6 in the afternoon service (2 PM) in our church in Chilliwack. There is a pulpit exchange next Sunday and my parents are still out of town, hence the delay. Hope to see you there!

Meagan - 1 week old

Well it's been a week since Meagan entered the world and changed our lives. Life has been full of adjusting this week, adjusting to being a family of 4, dealing with baby stuff everywhere, changing diapers oh so frequently, getting used to feeding a hungry baby all night... oh, and trying to go anywhere takes a good 15 minutes longer to get ready so I've been consistently late for everything. Kaitlyn is also adjusting to being a big sister and for the most part does well. Unfortunately she also has a cold making her a little irritable and a little more difficult to deal with. I was nursing Meagan the other day and Kaitlyn climbed up beside me on the couch, was stroking her head and said "I like her". Moments like that make up for the temper tantrums when we're not paying enough attention to her.

Meagan had her first doctor's appointment today and is very healthy. Her weight is now 7 lb 2 oz, up 4 oz from her birth weight and up 10 oz from her weight when we left the hospital. The doctor was pleased and surprised she had exceeded her birth weight but I let him know, she eats ALL THE TIME! There have been a couple nights where it is pretty much every hour, and a few nights where it's been every 3 hours, but I feel like my new purpose in life is being a milk factory. The doctor was very pleased with her colour - she is still mostly a bright red on parts of her body which will fade with time, but is a sign of being healthy which is good!

Today we don't have too much planned so I'm hoping to get some laundry done and I promised Kaitlyn we would go out and buy her a new colouring book. Pastor I. is coming out to visit us tonight and we will firm up the baptism date (most likely first Sunday in December). The church is taking good care of us with meals for a couple weeks which I am very thankful for. By the time dinnertime hits, I am finished and am thankful I don't have to worry what's for dinner every night!

Alright - off to feed my girls breakfast!

Meagan - A few photos

Meagan Elisabeth is Here!

Our baby girl is finally here and we are home from the hospital today!

Meagan Elisabeth was born November 18 @ 6:47 PM, weighing 6 lb 14 oz, 19.5 inches long. Everything went really well.

I was becoming impatient the day before so I called my doctor and asked for an induction. He agreed not to wait any longer and the hospital scheduled it for the next day. We were to call the hospital at 7 AM to see if we would be bumped and to get further instructions. Well, after that I started re-cleaning my house and contractions began on their own. They continued all night, about 8-12 minutes apart, but we still managed to get some sleep. We headed to the hospital and were immediately told we would be bumped until I told them I was already in labour. They induced me anyway since things were not moving too quickly and the doctor decided it was eviction day. After labouring all day, things started moving very quickly at around 5 PM, and I was in the delivery room sometime between 6 and 6:30, and very quickly, Meagan was here.

Because she was pushed out so quickly, she did swallow some amniotic fluid and managed to get some stuck in her nasal passages. The first night, she threw up a few times (the amniotic fluid) which the doctor was happy about, but he wasn't happy that she was still snorting and grunting because she was having trouble with her nose. So we ended up staying until today, and I was very thankful to be discharged and am home now!

We are both doing really well and trying to rest a bit before the 3-year-old monster returns tomorrow. Baptism will probably be a few weeks away but I'll keep the family and friends posted.

Here are a couple pictures borrowed from my sister. I still have to go through our camera and upload them, which I'll try to do this week.



Our family of 4:

Still Here

Well the pineapple I ate did nothing last night and I am still here waiting. Had great intentions of doing a few things today but was very lazy instead.

Hopefully my next post will include some baby pictures!

Waiting

Still here, still waiting. Waiting for this baby to start moving on its own and for a telephone call from the doctor with an induction date. Wondering what I will do today besides a couple loads of laundry...

Belly and Head Shots

Here's my 40 week belly shot:



And got my hair cut today too so here's a headshot:

Kaitlyn's Preschool

I had a good chat with Kaitlyn's teacher after preschool yesterday. Kaitlyn is the youngest in her class by over 6 months (which I didn't realize - just thought she was the shortest). Kaitlyn is 3 (birthday is in May) and most of the children are over 4.

The teacher said she will really be working on encouraging Kaitlyn to speak up and becoming less shy. It has become very obvious, especially in circle time, that she is afraid to speak up, and the other kids actually tell the teacher not to call on Kaitlyn because "she's too shy". When she does speak, she's very very quiet, but it's apparently rare that she does speak up unless she's forced to. It's hard to think of how to work on that with her since whenever she's with me or people she's comfortable with, she really doesn't stop talking.

Besides this one issue, apparently she is a very focussed child and really applies herself to any task the teacher gives her, which the teacher thinks will be great for her as she gets older especially with schoolwork. She has no problem listening, understanding, and doing what the teacher tells her, without having to be told more than once (now if only she would do THAT at home!).

Here's another picture she drew today of her family. She says she will add the baby once the baby is born:

Due Today

I just got back from the doctor's and there's really no news to report. The ultrasound results were good and baby is measuring right on track (head and body in proportion to each other) and the doctor's estimate is it will be another 6 pound baby but might be very long. He did not want to strip my membranes as the baby's head is still too high and accidentally causing my waters to break wouldn't be good with the baby so high still. We're discussing induction dates at this point and I've pretty much given up on the baby arriving without an induction.

So I'm hanging in there, keeping the house in decent shape, cooking dinner daily, and even baked cookies and apple tart with Kaitlyn yesterday. Which was interesting. Baking with a 3-year-old takes a lot longer, makes for a much messier kitchen, and she wanted to "test" everything along the way. But it was a fun experience and one we'll do again :)

Kaitlyn's Artwork

Kaitlyn has definitely come a long way in a short period with her drawing and colouring, and I'm pretty sure preschool is to thank. Here are a couple of examples from the last couple days:

She coloured this all by herself with no help at all:



And this is "a kid, like me Mom!":

Ho Hum

Nothing new to report. Still no baby and no sign of when he/she will arrive. At least we're finally settled on names (and no, we're not telling yet).

We decided a few months ago that we would park the car when the insurance ran out this month to try to save on money. Problem is with the weather, it's near impossible for me to walk Kaitlyn to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I would need to drive Ryan to work in Abbotsford in the morning, so I could have the car, and then pick him up again at the end of the day. Doesn't do much in saving money if I'm doing that at least twice a week with a minivan, plus I hate feeling stranded the rest of the week. But oops - thought the insurance expired on Monday but it actually expired on the weekend so I had to run out last night and get a 1 day permit to get it aircared today so Ryan can re-insure it tonight. Oh well - at least I'll have my transportation back! Ryan also didn't like the idea of my being at home without a vehicle and 9 months pregnant, or him being without a vehicle and the chance of my going into labour at any time.

Anyway, better run - Kaitlyn is going to help me clean out the car as we are having a break from our torrential rainpour we've been experiencing this week. Better get it done before the rain starts up again!

39 Weeks

So I am 39 weeks now. Not much surprise here - I always figured I would end up going overdue and have to be induced again, but the doctor tells me there's still plenty of time and not to be too negative. I told him I wasn't being negative, just realistic :)

We had the ultrasound yesterday and was thankful to have Ryan by my side in case there was any bad news. No bad news - the technician said everything looked good and the doctor would go through the results in more detail with me. Size is looking good though, which is a relief.

Today I took Kaitlyn with me to my 39 week doctor's appointment. She loved it. She puts on quite a shy show when she goes to things like this and was good as gold. She was very concerned when the doctor gave me my B12 shot, and was thrilled when she could hear the baby's heart beating. She even accepted Dr. D's invitation and stood on the stool as he measured me and listened intently as he explained where the baby's head, body and feet were.

Kaitlyn has been a little of a handful this week, especially yesterday. We think she might be acting out a little, which is to be expected. Ryan and I have been super busy getting the house ready for our new addition, including moving baby furniture upstairs, into her room and moving some of her stuff out. Well, she had an "accident" at preschool yesterday, and then 3 more when she came home :( She also ate barely anything yesterday and refused almost anything I offered her. I worried she was maybe getting sick but today she's a totally different child. I put her in a pullup as I really didn't want to keep doing laundry all day, and she's stayed 100% dry and is eating like crazy. I guess she gave up her little act when she realized she wasn't getting anywhere.

Anyway, time to get the next load out of the dryer :)

Halloween Sugar Crash

Today at 3 PM I found this on my couch....

Dr's Appointment & Kaitlyn's Preschool Party

Today was Kaitlyn's Harvest party at school. She had a great time, even though I had to wake her up to get going (and it didn't start until 10!). I've often wondered how late she would sleep in if I let her, and it turns out she's just like her Mom and would sleep in everyday :) She was able to dress up as a fairy, play games with her friends, pop balloons, have cupcakes and hotdogs for lunch, and was so proud to have me along - it was really a great morning.

I had my 38 week doctor's appointment and the doctor has a few concerns. My strep B test came back positive, which is not usually a big deal, but because of my penicillin allergy, I will have to alert the staff right away when I come in and let them know Dr. D.'s recommendation for an alternate medication (that is, if things start on their own, which we're both a little doubtful). Second, I had a 2 pound weight loss, which I attribute to being off work and making a conscious effort of trying to keep off my feet after my last 5 pound weight gain. But Dr. D. is a little concerned considering the small size of the baby, plus a weight loss, plus my history with Kaitlyn where the placenta stopped working sometime before birth as well. So I am off for an "urgent" ultrasound next week to do some measurements and make sure my placenta is still doing its job. So a lot of info to digest today, but I'm thankful for having a concerned doctor who takes my concerns to heart as well.

Here are some pics from today:

Kaitlyn playing basketball:


Playing bean bag toss (she rather enjoyed it when there were other kids inside as targets...):


With the other 3 year olds:


Waving her magic wand:


Eating lunch:

Maternity Leave Has Started!

Today was my first day of maternity leave! I am blessed to be able to take a year off from my job and get top-up benefits (employment insurance pays about 55% of my wages and then my employer tops up my benefits to a higher percentage) while doing so, making it affordable to stay at home for a year.

Today I was able to start crossing things off my to-do list, including cleaning up my desk at work, filing for my employment insurance benefits and registering at the hospital. Tomorrow Kaitlyn has her Harvest Hoe-Down party at school and then I have another doctor's appointment in the afternoon. Things I still have to do include setting up the change table and going through the baby clothes and washing them. Which also means I haven't packed our hospital bag yet either... Hopefully this baby cooperates and waits a few more days at least before arriving, allowing me to get everything done in time!

Kaitlyn is still telling everyone she is having a baby sister whose name is Egan, and when you try to suggest it might be a boy and Egan will not be this baby's name, she just looks cute and says "no".

Anyway, will keep you all posted if anything happens!

Drs Appointment

Absolutely zero indication of when our baby will arrive. I am 1 cm dialated and 50% effaced (still not sure what that means...). The dr says if we're ready for the baby to arrive, the baby will wait another 3-5 weeks. If we're not ready, baby will arrive this weekend :)

Oh, also had a 5 pound weight gain in 2 weeks. Oops. Apparently after looking at my legs/ankles, the dr says it is all water and I need to stay off my feet more.

37 Weeks Today

Not much new to report. I am 37 weeks pregnant today and considered full term meaning if the baby comes out today, his/her lungs will be fully developed and hopefully won't need any additional care. Not that we're ready for this baby to arrive today - still have a lot of cleaning and organizing to do which will hopefully get done this week!

We served our tenant with his eviction notice and we have given him the option of leaving by November 1st or December 1st. He has verbally told us December 1st, but I'm still holding onto hope that he changes his mind and leaves before this baby arrives. I am so looking forward to having a kids playroom downstairs and a laundry room. Plus ever since the tenant was laid off, he has had his kids staying with him much more and he has zero control over them. Last night I had to listen to one of them scream and yell and cry at 1:30 AM... not fun.

I have 5 days left of work and next Wednesday is my final day for a 1 year!! So excited to be off for that period of time but what a change it will be.

Speaking of which, better get a certain sleepy girl out of bed and ready to face the day!

Favourite Quote of the Week

"Lord bless this food and drink and cheez whiz for Jesus' sake, amen"

Pumpkin Patch

This week Wednesday I was lucky enough to be able to use my last bit of vacation to attend Kaitlyn's first field trip with her to the pumpkin patch. She loved it despite the pouring rain and cold, although she was begging for a bath by the end of it. She loved visiting the barn and seeing the animals, especially helping feed the goats. She loved the hayride as long as I held onto her tight (and yes, 8+ months pregnant, I was on the hayride) and she loved picking out her pumpkin - the tiniest one on the field mind you. It was great to spend time with Kaitlyn doing "normal Mommy stuff" and I can't wait to do more!

35 Week Update

Well, I had my 35 week checkup today. Everything looks good. Of course the doctor tells me now that it will take 2-3 weeks for me to feel an increase of energy from the B12 shots - I was hoping for something sooner since I've been feeling so tired. At least that extra energy will be here for labour, right??

Blood pressure is a little high, but he's not concerned. Just have to take it easy when I can, which isn't easy considering I'm still working for a few more weeks, but work has been really great about watching out for me and putting me in slower courtrooms whenever possible. And I'm using the elevator a lot more than before :)

Baby is measuring small which is fine by me. Hoping for another easy labour! He's not concerned about my contractions and attributes them to braxton hicks. I'm still thinking this baby is coming earlier rather than later...

We still don't have a clue if Kaitlyn really knows what's going on. She kept saying she was getting a sister and then yesterday started telling everyone I'm having a boy and his name is Egan. Ah well, soon she'll have to "get" it.

As far as the tenant drama, the tenant is still here and we haven't given him notice. We're waiting for a letter from the city so we're not the big bad landlords. The goal is to have the whole house by Christmas though.

Anyway, better run. We have a Secret Sisters reveal at the church tonight and I have to get ready. Considering how slow I move, I am late already :)

Basement Suite Drama

Ever since we decided to rent out our basement suite, we have been completely open and honest with our neighbour that this was our intention. They never expressed any concern, just tried to encourage us to use the space for ourselves. After our renter moved in, we received a notice from the City that someone had filed a complaint about "new construction" in our home. I called them back and said there was no new construction, and they were going to make an inspection, but due to our work schedules, we couldn't pinpoint a time/date. Anyway, this dragged out into weeks with us playing telephone tag with the city, until we received a notice stating they were invoking 48 hour notice for a mandatory inspection for "new construction" or "the existence of a rental suite". Turns out our neighbour has been complaining on a regular basis (every 2-3 days) about our rental suite because he wants it gone. This has created other strife, including bad relations with the neighbours and the possibility of increased insurance at a rate of 30% or higher. And the closer this baby comes to arriving, the more cramped we are getting upstairs.

So we are going to make some changes. I was planning on enrolling Kaitlyn in dance classes this year, but we've decided to save that money, and whatever money we possibly can, and take over the house. The kids will be able to have a "bed"room upstairs (right now it is also the playroom, but there's just not enough room), we'll move the extra tv downstairs for the kids and for having the guys over for hockey games etc. We're going to need some rec room type furniture. We'll have a room devoted to laundry/working out downstairs. It will be a major change but will make the upstairs so much more liveable. It will also mean taking a good look at our finances and cutting out a lot. Once my mat leave starts, we're taking the car off the road and will make do with 1 vehicle. We've already reworked the mortgage to avert the huge "hit" once a month and spread it over on a semi-weekly basis instead. No more buying lunches. Grocery shopping at Superstore only, no more Safeway. I think if we have work hard on it, it is manageable and will make our lives so much better at home. I've never been one for sharing my home, and this will probably decrease some of my stress levels as well. Anyway, we are looking forward to it!

I had another doctor's appointment this week. Baby's heartrate was in low 170s (very active during the appointment and says nothing about gender according to Dr. D!), I gained 5 pounds of "pure water" according to the dr, and my blood results are back. I have been diagnosed with pernicious anemia, which means that my stomach attacks B12 when taken orally instead of absorbing it. Apparently B12 helps with energy and absorbing iron as well, which Dr. D. says accounts for my lack of energy and downright tiredness. He doesn't know when I came down with the disease, but thinks he caught it early since I am not yet suffering from numbness or tingling in my limbs (which are long term effects). So he's given me my first B12 shot in my arm, and I'll continue getting them every 2 weeks for who knows how long. Could be the rest of my life. He says it's a good thing we did the bloodwork or I would be suffering and not know why.

Anyways, this turned into a bit of a long one :) Take care everyone!

New Nephew!

We are very excited that my sister and her husband (Brad and Rebecca) have welcomed a baby boy to their family, after 3 girls. They are very excited, and Rebecca was thrilled to not be pregnant anymore, after going 11 days overdue and constantly being sent away from the hospital. Everything went well, but I still haven't met little Justin Peter as he's fighting a little infection and Rebecca was exhausted last night, so by the time I got off work, they were asking for no more visitors. Totally understandable - I know how exhausting those first 48 hours can be, especially with a constant parade of visitors. Hopefully I get to see him today after work!

Not much else to report here. Still getting more uncomfortable. This baby moves all the time and seems to have no place to put his/her elbows and knees as they are constantly poking and protruding. My maternity leave paperwork is officially filed and October 28 is my last date. Only 9 weeks until my due date! We are so not ready. Still have to reorganize Kaitlyn's room, bring up the bassinet, start washing baby clothes, set up the change table... Hopefully we have a good 9 weeks left to get everything accomplished.

Dinotown

Kaitlyn was lucky enough to go to Dinotown on a gorgeous day yesterday with her 2 favourite boyfriends, her babysitter and their little girl. She had a blast and talked about it for hours once she got home. Krista borrowed my camera for the day and here are a few pictures of Kaitlyn's fun day.

Update

Yes, yes, my blog is looking a little out of date again. Not much new to report around our household. Today I start my 3rd trimester. It's kind of funny really, since up until now, everyone has said how tiny I am and then suddenly this week, everyone starts telling me how BIG I am! It's true, I suddenly did get huge overnight and my body is feeling it. My ankles are constantly swollen and my hips and low back are constantly in pain. Unfortunately our extended health plan isn't great when it comes to massages so I'm still on the hunt for a good prenatal massage.

Kaitlyn is enjoying her summer and spending time with her new/old babysitter, Aunty Krista. Krista used to watch Kaitlyn full-time until I started sending Kaitlyn to her real aunty's houses more often, but now that Rebecca is so close to her due date and her kitchen was torn apart, Kaitlyn's been back at Krista's and the adjustment has gone so well. She loves the boys and their little girl, and is constantly doing stuff (like going to the park, the pool, and today they're even going to Dinotown). I'm very thankful to have such an easygoing child - makes being a working mom a little easier on me.

Ryan is still busy at work and loves his supervisor hours, except that he's on call 24 hours so his cell phone has days where it is constantly ringing which can get a little annoying when you're trying to visit with people. He has an interview with Federal Corrections on Sept 1st and we're very hopeful about that! If he gets that job, we will be getting rid of our tenant and using our whole house for the first time. With the baby coming, we could really use the space!

Anyway, better get to work!

Wordless Wednesday

Our Overgrown Backyard and the Agrifair

This week was definitely a busy one. I have finished all my maternity leave paperwork and my last day of work will be October 28! So the countdown begins and then I am off for a year. So thankful to be working in a province and for an employer who is so supportive of working Moms and I will definitely enjoy my time off!

Ryan has been very busy in the backyard this week. When we bought the house, we didn't have much of a yard as it had a lot of growth and trees. Gradually we have been eliminating trees and growth but we have these enormous trees at the back of the property with huge branches that shade the entire backyard, making it a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Hence we use our deck a lot more than venturing into the backyard. With some help from our tenant, Ryan has been tackling those trees and we have sunlight in our backyard for the first time! Now comes the cleanup though - there are just piles of branches in the backyard which will take quite a few trips to the green dump to get rid of but it will be so worth it to have a backyard we can enjoy finally!

Ryan working in the backyard - this was just the beginning. I should take another pic so you can see how much he actually cut down:



Here is Kaitlyn in the backyard - you can really see the shade that I'm talking about in this picture which is what the whole backyard was like until late yesterday:



Today we checked out the Abbotsford Agrifair. My thinking was it would be cheap family entertainment but everything costs money in there. Kaitlyn loved riding the horse and getting up close with the animals but the heat and my swollen feet made it a rather short visit. Still a fun but exhausting day!

Kaitlyn in her sunglasses after a day at the pool with Aunty Andrea and cousins Lucas and Nathan. She's pretty cool :)



Riding the horse at the fair - she had such a blast!