37 Years Young

Monday was my Birthday and I turned 37 years...Ohhh lucky me, oddly enough I really don't feel much different from my 30th birthday!!!  Isn't there an age old expression you are as old as you feel?  I really feel that my kids keep me young. 
Monday did bring a bit of disappointment I was supposed to have maternity pictures done and the photographer cancelled at the last minute.  They have been rescheduled for the beginning of next week, so keep your fingers crossed that this baby does not appear before the pics are done!
We were blessed with a wonderful weekend away.  We packed up early Saturday morning and headed to Marineland for my DH's work family picnic.  It was a wonderful day, hot sunny and a lot of walking.  We endured getting soaked by two Killer whales, took in the beautiful Beluga's, met up with a few deer and fed some bears amoung other exciting things.  After we had a wonderful BBQ lunch we headed back to Arctic cove and saw more Beluga whales, they actually have an area where you can feed them however the lineup was huge and we decided to go to the underground viewing.  This brings me to the highlight of my day, we walked around the underground viewing and they had Belugas that were pregnant and they were due any day.  I was lucky enough to see a baby move in one of the Momma's tummies...I was moved and got a bit teary eyed.
The line-ups were crazy so the younger kids went on 1 ride and Our older daughter went on 1 ride appropriate to her age. 
At the end of the day we had another awesome treat awaiting us.  My Mom and Dad treated us to a hotel for the night for our Birthday's.  DH and I are exactly a week apart, it was wonderful not having to sit and drive all the way home, we enjoyed dinner then we took the kiddos down to the pool for a night swim.  The water felt amazing, after swimming for at least an hour or more we headed back to our room got dressed and took the kiddos to see the Falls lit-up at night.  We all finally got to bed around 11pm...Sunday morning brought our adventure to a close as we made our way home with a a few stops on the way for shopping etc. 
A special thanks to my Mom and Dad for a nice night away, it was a wonderful treat before the hectic couple of months that we will have before us adjusting to life with a newborn!

Off Day

Today I am having a bit of an off day.  I have been busy enough, but I keep thinking of my Grandma today...I am really missing her today.  I had running around to do this morning and every time I turned around something would remind me of her...maybe it my hormones or the upcoming birth of my baby and knowing she will not be here to hold her Great Grandchild.  I just about lost it on the bus a few times today...thank goodness for sunglasses that are dark enough to hide teary eyes. 
I am getting ready for a busy weekend and my maternity photo's on Monday...I will post more about my experience with this on Monday... I am super excited! 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Lovely Morning

Today was a great morning...not because of the 8:15 am phone call that woke up myself, DH and kids who never sleep past 7am...no it was the phone call that I received later on in the morning.  It was from my old room mate...Whenever we talk and I have a few friends like this it seems as though we have not been apart from each other.  In the case of B (my old roomy) and I we have not seen each other in at least 12 years.  That is absolutely crazy!!!  We live about 2 hours apart from each other and every time we have made plans to get together something has come up and it has not worked out.  So this summer after the baby is born and I am back on my feet we are definitely going to get together I am super excited for this day!  So thanks B for making my day a little brighter, for remembering days gone by and laughing at all the crazy why did we do that again moments. 

The Blah's

Audrey Hepburn called them the "Mean Red's" in Breakfast at Tiffany's...I am calling them the BLAH's...Mostly because I am tired, sore, huge and frustrated all at the same time.  The first are obvious...late stage pregnancy and in a few weeks it will be done...Its the frustration I can't seem to curb and unfortunately I set myself up every time.  You see I have a vision of how I want things to be, and I am very quickly running out of steam.  I am having a c-section so I want my house to be spotless before I go in...well have you ever heard that expression "cleaning your house with children is a little like shovelling the sidewalk in a Blizzard" by Phyllis Diller.  That's kind of how I am feeling.  I have toyed with the possibility of just banishing every single toy to the playroom which would not be seen by anyone unless they wanted to play in the playroom...and lets face it my kids hate cleaning up after themselves.  On the other hand I think well this is their house too they should be able to play with a few toys in the living room if they desire...but with the theory that they need to be put away at the end of the day.  At my house at the end of the day everything gets left on the landing to go upstairs or downstairs but never put away.  So my goal for today is to clear off both landings, to banish them of everything including the shelves that I have put there.  I am going to strategically place a basket one for upstairs and one for downstairs.  Before bedtime I will disperse what items go where and have the basket empty to go back to its home the next AM.  As for the toy situation, I think that the playroom and the kiddos bedrooms are where their toys are going to stay however I am not going to demand that if they want to play with something specific in another area of the house that they can't...however the items must be returned to their home...somehow sounds easier said than done.
On the upside I have started to make bows again...I wish I had a better supply of ribbon.  At the moment I am just using what I have laying about, I have the sewing part done so this morning I will assemble it all together, then mount it on a clip.

Cranky

Yep I am Cranky so why not write about it...I woke up this morning and all my fingers and toes are so swollen, I am very grateful I took my wedding band off yesterday because I am almost certain that someone would have had to cut it off today.  My feet are so swollen even my beloved crocks are too tight.  It was very hot last night and is still very hot today so my sleep was very little.  It is going to be another hot and sunny day today, I am praying after shocking the pool last night all the chemical levels will be at where they need to be because I intend on being a prune in the pool to stay comfy and cool.
Don't get me wrong I am ecstatic about having my sweet baby, but today I am very uncontfortable.  I almost wish there was snow somewhere close by because I just might walk through it barefoot.  What did or do you do to cope with the heat and late pregnancy?

Long Weekend

Here it is the long weekend in July...That means only a few more weeks until I turn 37....wow 37.  Only a few more weeks until my DH's Birthday and 3 weeks until I deliver this baby...Okay yes my heart just jumped a few beats there.  I can't believe I am just about to the end of my last pregnancy.  It has gone by so quickly from that fateful Sunday early in December when I did my home pregnancy test with shaky hands and butterfly's in my stomach, as soon as I found out I was out the door to my cousins baby shower.  How has that much time just flown by? 
For Canada day we had a relaxing day at home with family, we enjoyed a wonderful morning walk while it was still reasonably cool out.  We came home and I had a nap on the couch, had lunch and then we spent some lovely time in our little pool in the afternoon (ohh how nice that pool felt).  This morning we all slept in and my wonderful DH hit the grocery store so I wouldn't have to.  It is really hot here today so it will be another pool afternoon and hopefully my super awesome DH will get a chance to put our air conditioner in as we are supposed to have a wickedly hot week. 
How did you celebrate Canada's Birthday?
To my US friends, I wish you all a wonderful 4th of July Holiday weekend!

Why a C-section?

I was explaining to someone the other day that we would be having this baby c-section as we had to have Abigayle with a c-section birth...the comment I got was "ohh your taking the easy way out!"  I have had 2 babies naturally, no epidural nothing and did quite well with it.  I would prefer to deliver my baby naturally for a huge number of reasons the biggest one is every time I have delivered I have been up an hour later in the shower and ready to continue on.  With Owen I delivered him at 7:30 pm and was heading home by 10am the next morning...a little more than 12 hours in the hospital and I was able to be at home with my family.  Delivering obviously is less evasive. 
When I was pregnant with Abigayle during a dating ultrasound the ultrasound tech discovered what seemed to be a growth on my left ovary, of course ha could not give me any explanations so we got scared and wondered what it could be.  After a trip to my OBYN he assured me that he did not think it was cancerous, but maybe some sort of mass that had grown there and that we would monitor it over my coming months of pregnancy, over time as the baby got bigger so did this mass.  It was determined about 2 weeks prior to my due date that this mass was not letting the baby even turn she was laying in a transverse position and it was blocking any means for the baby to deliver.  I remember coming home and my Mom was here and just sobbing my heart out as the last thing I wanted to do was have a c-section delivery and then surgery right after to take care of this mystery mass.  I signed forms to have my left ovary entirely removed as the Dr thought this was going to be the only option to deal with this mass. 
Abigayle was delivered via a normal c-section and My DH was present the whole time after delivering her my Dr and his partner started working on me, as it turns out the mass was not connected to my ovary at all but was a massive fibroid that had attached itself at the top of my uterus and at the bottom.  When a fibroid grows it can grow two ways either on a stalk and they can just clip it or it embeds itself like a root.  Mine embedded itself so it required being chiseled out weakening the uterine muscle.  So the whole time Abigayle was growing so was this fibroid.  Looking back it explains so much as to why I was so tired and anemic.  Incidentally the Dr said my fibroid was one of the largest he has ever seen, it was close to the size of my babies head.
Fast forward 4 years and here I am again pregnant,  early in my pregnancy we talked about my options and the risks of each delivery...had I not had that nasty fibroid I would deliver V-back (Vaginal delivery after a c-section) even if that fibroid was attached to the lower part of my uterus I could have still delivered v-back with little risk.  However because it was attached to the top and had to be chiseled out my uterus muscle is weak and I would have a higher risk of my uterus rupturing during a vaginal delivery.  I honestly would not put my baby or myself in that kind of danger especially if it could have been prevented. 
So; no I am not taking the easy way out, nor am I thrilled about the 5 day hospital stay or the six weeks of recovery time, or having to rely on everyone else to take on my responsibilities while I recover slowly...at least this time I know what to expect and even though I will still be nervous I will not be scared and at the end of it all we will have our beautiful sweet baby safely here.

Monday Again...

Monday is here yet again...what a week we have in store for us.  My DH is working crazy shifts this week, so he will be sleeping eating and working and that is about it...Thank goodness the long weekend is approaching, and hopefully he will get  a bit of a break.  My step-daughter is here for most of the week, which everyone is very excited about...She arrived yesterday afternoon and we enjoyed a great family BBQ dinner and Grandma and Grandpa (my Mom and Dad) were able to join us. 
When my Mom and Dad arrived I was in the process of folding and sorting a basket of baby clothes into groups of 3mo, 6mo...etc.  My awesome Mom stepped right in and helped me out. 
It is hard to believe it will be exactly one month from this week that we will be delivering our new sweet baby, and I feel like I have so much to do to get my house ready for post c-section, I know what to expect this time so I intend on being prepared. 
This week also brings the end of JK, Grade 2, and Grade 6, we have been fortunate to have some amazing teacher's this year.  I hope September brings us some more great teachers as they really do make all the difference as to how a child views school.
Off I go to tackle some more deep cleaning... Have a great Monday!

Too Early Saturday

Here it is another sleepless early morning.  Usually I awake between 3:30 am and 4:30 am.  Most mornings I can reposition myself and fall back to sleep about an hour after waking up...not today...honest body I am tired...well hopefully since its the weekend I will get a nap later on today.  My body must be preparing for those soon approaching middle of night feedings. 
Yesterday marked my 34th week of pregnancy...I am now considered full term and baby will do the majority of his/her growing over the coming weeks.  I will be carrying my baby for approximately 4 more weeks as this baby will be delivered C-section...that being said I have had a lot of tightening and cramping yesterday and earlier this morning...I honestly hope that it is just Braxton hicks and nothing more than that.  Just to be on the safe side I am going to get my items ready for the hospital today, pack baby his/her items and of course pack the kids some items for Grandma and Grandpa's house in the event that this happens earlier.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend with your families and remember to cherish every moment because you don't know what tomorrow will hold.

Finally its Friday

So it has not been the best week...In fact it has been one of the worse weeks of my life.  Yesterday was the day we said our final good bye's to my Grandma.  It was a very long emotional day.  I was exhausted by the end, as I am sure there are many others who were also emotionally drained.  The service was beautiful, during the service there were two letters written one by my Aunt that described my Grandmother's life where she was born, where she lived and highlights of her life that made her who she was as a person.  My Mom wrote another type of letter, it was a beautiful letter describing how she felt, and how her individual family felt especially Grandma's Great Grandchildren. 
Our Children attended the funeral, our 4 year old just had a really hard time understanding everything that had gone on.  It wasn't until the car ride home last night that she declared that Grandma was in heaven looking after us.  Our 7 year old was his usual sensitive self, he teared up a few times throughout the day but it wasn't until after I put him to bed he came down an hour later in tears with so many questions...I thought to myself how can I answer all these questions, when I myself just don't understand.  But I did my very best anyways.  Our 12 year old has been grieving in her own way and I think over time she will understand.  Right now her main focus is Great Grandma's dog and the need to bring him home and love him. 
My  husband was amazing throughout all of this, he was my rock.  He went on very little sleep then turned around and had to go to work last night,with just a short nap. 
I did ok yesterday, I think I had my brave face on for my kids as they needed me and my focus was on them. 
Today on the other hand I am very sad and weepy perhaps its because I have nothing to focus on or get ready for, or perhaps its just the realization that this is not just a bad dream but in fact is very real.

A New Day

Today seems to be a better day thus far....I think it has to do with a combination of things, I had some sleep last night and I have had many conversations with family and good friends.  I had  a nice talk with my good friend Jodie yesterday as a result I have decided along with my DH that we will take our children to my Grandma's funeral tomorrow.  I know that my 12 year old will understand, but I am not entirely sure about my 7 year old or my 4 year old.  We have talked to them to try to prepare them as to what to expect, but I guess only time will tell as to how they make out with it. 
I have said it once this morning and I will say it again, I am very blessed to have such amazing friends and family.  I am also very grateful for all the support from my husband.

A Sad Day

Yesterday I lost one of my most favorite people, my Grandma.  Her death came relatively unexpectedly.  She became ill and went to the hospital on Saturday.    She would have turned 91 on her birthday this July.  Grandma was not your typical 90 year old lady...she was tough, strong willed and refused to give in to anything.  She still drove herself about in her car, she cut her grass on her riding lawnmower, she worked in her gardens, burned leaves in the fall and she lived on her own.

 I have always been very close to my Grandma, I had the privilege of growing up next to her.  I saw Grandma everyday, as I grew older we did so much together.  I went to church with her on Sunday mornings well into my teenage years, we would have fires out at the side of her house and roast marshmallows and hot dogs.  We had several trips to a rented cottage on a yearly basis, it started out with my two cousins and my brother and I, later just Grandma and I went as she did not want to drive all of the way.  When I had my first daughter she would spend almost everyday with me, once or twice a week we would go out for coffee or shopping. 
Grandma was the greatest counselor, whenever I was having a problem no-matter what it was, I would call and talk to her or when I was younger I would go up to her house and we would have a talk.  She always had a way of seeing the situation from a different point of view and if I was in the wrong she would very gently turn me in the right direction...she was never harsh or hurtful with her words or judgemental she just spoke what was in her heart. 
I know that I am very lucky to have such an amazing person to be part of my life for the last 37 years...for that I am thankful.  I am Thankful that my children, my niece and nephew and my little second cousins all had a chance to know how incredible she was and how much she loved them. 
Today I leave with this poem as it seems appropriate.

Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
Written by Mary Frye

Clearing Up Clutter

From where I sit at my desk at this exact moment, I see a transformer, some novels, a game boy holder, paint brushes, electrical tape, construction paper....and the list goes on.  All of these items have been left laying about by my darling children, more specifically the two older ones.  As I was cleaning up the Living room last night after my kiddos had gone to bed I announced to my DH that there has to be a better way to get my kiddos to clean up what they get out instead of this Mommy getting frustrated and annoyed because it seems I spend a lot of extra time picking up things that have migrated to a certain space. 
I have decided that I am going to get a basket and any random thing that I find laying about will go into the basket.  Then at the end of the day before we go into the pool for the last swim of the day all items in the basket must be put away in their respectful spot..the longer it takes to put items away the less time we have for swimming.  If this works out I will get each child his/her own basket and make this a regular part of our evening routine.

What do you do to get your kiddos to clean up after themselves?

Happy Father's Day

Here it is Father's day...My Dad is probably out playing a round of golf and soaking up the glorious sun that this day has to offer. 
I am blessed to have two great men in my life that are Father's, my Dad and my Husband.

As I have said before my Hubby is an awesome Dad...he has just the right amount of sweetness, he is always honest, caring and tough in the discipline area when needed.  He is always up for a game of ball in the yard and hitting the toy isle when shopping...even if it is to look at baby dolls and Barbie's. 

My Dad, will tell you that his gray hair is caused by me...incidentally he started turning gray when I was in high school and collage ( I can't be completely to blame can I?).  My Dad was always busy between working a full time job and working our farm, and as we (my brother and I) got older he was also involved with various organizations in the community...Of course we also became involved in these organizations. As busy as my Dad was he always had time for us, some of the fondest memories I have as a child are our camping trips, learning to fish and various family outings. 
My Dad has always been an inspiration to me to be a better person...I have always looked up to him and although back in my younger days (well before I was a parent)  I thought he was strict and tough, little did I know then that was just because he was an outstanding Dad and wanted the best for my brother and I...
Not only is my Dad an awesome Dad, but he is also an amazing Grandpa to his Grand kids...and the kids just adore him and all the fun things they get to do at Grandpa's house.

To my Dad and My Husband, I hope you both have an amazing Father's day!

The Thorn In my Side...AKA The Playroom

My question to you is;  Do you have one room in your house that drives you insane....you can't stand to be in it, and when you are you think to your self  "I just cleaned and organized this room not too long ago!"?

This room for me is the PLAYROOM....With all three kiddos at school today I have a few precious short hours to organize it, throw stuff away, and clean it.  The problem boils down to the fact that my kids have too much stuff.  I  have some of the items that I need to get rid of listed on Kijiji.  However I am getting very impatient and I really just want it gone.  So looks like I will be donating a bunch of stuff, just to free up some space. 

So off I go to be ruthless on the playroom....Have a Fabulous Friday Everyone!!!

Last Day

Today was my last day of caring for my special little friends.  We started our day by finishing up our Father's day gifts, then to the park for fun.  To wrap up our day, we had watermelon and ice cream for snack....Yum-yum. 
My little friends started coming to my house back in the middle of September....We have had a blast doing crafts, singing songs, and of course stories...I have enjoyed watching my little friends grow and learn  over the past months and I am really going to miss my time with them.  Not only are they excellent little people their Mom is pretty awesome too....I have had nothing but a positive experience, I love the fact that Abigayle has made good friends in the process...



I was at my Prenatal appointment today, every thing seems to be going well.  Baby is head down but we are delivering C-section.  I did find out that I have been exposed to Fifth disease, but the fact that my ultrasound was good, my fluid levels are good and my vitals are great as is baby heart rate Dr. said we are not going to worry too much about it.....I will post more about Fifth disease in another post. 

Its Wednesday....

Here it is Wednesday already, I like Wednesdays because I know the school/work week is half way over.  Two more days and my whole family will be home for the weekend, two more days and no rushing around in the mornings getting little people to where they need to be....although there is only two and a half weeks left of the morning rush, then the kids start their summer holidays....I wonder what the summer holidays will have in store for us this year?

I have reached that "uncomfortable" part of my pregnancy...I had very little sleep last night complete with horrible leg cramps...this is the first time I have experienced leg cramps, the only thing that relieved them was standing straight up out of bed and painfully stretching out my muscle.  I can still feel a knot in the back of my calf... boy, am I ever looking forward to my massage.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY EVERYONE

Getting ready for Baby and my Stroller Addiction....

Getting ready for baby is always a wonderful task which I love....although I don't know too many people who dread this job. 
I have baby clothes all ready, they just need to be washed and put in the new baby's dresser.  I have a few soft blankets awaiting baby's arrival, washcloths and towels.  I have even planned ahead this time and have been using all the coupons friends have given me for diapers and wipes...I am right up to size 2...I have never been that prepared before. 

I have all the standard baby items, crib, swing, bouncy chair, baby carrier (so I can get some housework done)...even some bottles just in case breast feeding issues arise or so Daddy can feed the baby.

But here is my issue.....I am addicted to strollers.... Its true, I started off getting a travel system...complete with everything, carseat, base and stroller.  Then I was at a Mom2Mom sale and saw a  stroller for a sweet deal and I couldn't pass it up...(Why you ask)...I have had this idea in my head for ages that I would love to have a Pram type stroller....I had images of my sweet baby sleeping in it outside while my other children happily played in our yard, or baby sleeping in it while I enjoyed a lovely fall afternoon walk.    Before I had picked up said stroller I had priced Prams and decided they were too much out of my price range...and in the  future had I seen one I would pick it up...but for now I had the stroller which laid flat so baby could still partake in comfortable sweet sleep while we enjoyed outdoor activities....


AND THEN....I was talking to a good friend of mine on Facebook one night and she had found a convertible stroller which had the bassinet on kijiji.  I was so Excited....however;  I made an offer and the person selling and they wanted more for it than I was willing to pay.  The nice thing about Kijiji is there is always more than one person selling items and I found another convertible stroller with the bassinet...It was much too late to call so I had to wait until the next day and as luck would have it, it was still available and for cheap...  Now my project is ripping it all apart cleaning it and putting it all back together...
So Now I have three strollers downstairs in my playroom...oh and I have yet to mention my jogging stroller which is tucked away in storage...yep that makes four total.
But...it was a good thing I picked that stroller up at that Mom2Mom sale because DH bought a car and the carseat that I had for baby would not fit in the car properly....I picked up an awesome carseat...it was recommended to me by a friend as it will hold baby up to 32lbs which should last us for the first year and fits like a dream in both the stroller and the car....Please note: that I do not recommend just sticking any old carseat in any stroller.   Strollers that are a part of a travel system are made to fit certain types of carseats.  It can be dangerous to your baby's carseat into a stroller if the set are not made to fit each other.

 So I am now in the process of trying to sell my original travel system to free up some toy room space.  In total that will leave me with three strollers.... but all have a purpose.

Monday, Monday, and a bit about Me...

Hi, welcome to my little blog about life with us...my crazy little busy family.  I have titled my Blog "And Then...."  because that seems that way things go around here.  This is my very first attempt at blogging so please bear with me on this new journey that I am taking!

About Me:  My name is Jenn....  I am married to my amazing husband who is also a incredible Dad to our children.  All together we have four children with one on the way...this is when people give us that "are you freaking insane" look....The first is my beautiful step-daughter who will be turning 16 this Saturday...I met her when she was 7.  Time sure does fly by.  Next is my beautiful daughter who is12, next is our creative 7 year old son...the only little man in our family thus far.  The youngest member (at the moment) is our adorable 4 year old daughter.  I am 32 weeks along in my pregnancy, so in the next 6-8 weeks we will be expecting our  baby and our family will be complete. 

I love bow making, it was a little business for a while.  But has turned into more of a hobby as of lately, as the smell of the ribbon burning to seal the ends makes me incredibly sick with this pregnancy.  I also sell Avon and have been caring for a few children other than my own on a part-time basis....That in general is a brief summary of  Me....I do look forward to sharing stories and thoughts with you along the way in our adventure of life!

Monday, Monday:  Monday's are always the start of a new week, the older kids go back to school, DH goes back to work, and Abigayle and I have quality Mommy/daughter time.  I cherish this time with her as we can always find something special to do...Today the highlight was the brown boxes that appear on our front step even before we awake every other Monday morning compliments of Avon.  Today there was a very special treasure that Abigayle has been waiting for...LIGHT PINK nail polish for her toes....  Abigayle LOVES PINK, she is already sporting lovely pink toes just waiting to show them off to anyone who wants to see them.  I am so happy that a small bottle of pink nail polish can make my little ones day even brighter!
Monday also marks the start of a week full of cleaning, and for the next few weeks it will be the start of deep cleanings as I am in nesting mode trying to get this house baby ready, with the attitude "less is more".  Today I tackle the dinning room which is also home to our family computer which means paperwork to sort, file and shred....Off I go to start this fabulous week.  What do you do on Monday's to start your week at your house?