Blessed by loved ones

This weekend Peter and I and our +1 travelled home to Almonte for a weekend of family and friends. We had an extremely wonderful and FULL weekend of activity and were able to see a TON of loved ones. Given this was our last big trip before the baby arrives, we feel extremely fortunate we were able to spend it visiting with so many people.

Friday night was Adam & Kelly’s jack and jenny. Adam and Kelly are two of our favourite people (and musicians) and they are very much in love. Look at these faces.... 

Peter and I couldn’t be happier for them (Adam is the reason why Peter and I are together and they both sang me down the aisle and our first song at our own wedding). Their party was a huge success and a good indication of the main event that is to come this summer.  Their wedding is the weekend of August 14th and it will be our first big outing once the baby arrives! And (hopefully), the first big outing for our little guy and this mamma after child birth. It will undoubtedly be one of the summer highlights!!

On Saturday, my dear friends Jessica and Tracy arrived from Toronto for the weekend chez Raycroft. They came all the way just to help celebrate my baby shower with the rest of the Almonte crew on Sunday! We had a great lazy day of just meandering around Almonte, shopping at Blackbird and visiting with family and friends. On Saturday night Sarah and Chad joined us in Almonte for a visit (it’s been a while since we have had a quality one with them) and a hottub! Always so wonderful to see them and their yummy mango delicacies.

Sunday was the incredibly special shower that my sister and mom have been planning for me.  I am really blessed to have the women I do in my life. If any of you have met my sister, you know she is a wonder.  She loves the details, she loves a party, and she is an INCREDIBLE cook. This party was no exception, it was a baby-to-be masterpiece.  I know Stephanie  and my mom had help from many of my aunts (Patricia did the desserts) and lots of my mom’s sisters helped with set up and other details, but it was my mom and sister Stephanie who pulled out the show stoppers like this diaper cake, and this incredible spread of the most delicious food. Check this out... 

My dear friend Emily also did what she does best and got her craft on with the crowd. She had everyone at the shower stenciling personalized quilt squares that she is going to sew into a quilt for the baby! How wonderful!!! What a special idea that she cooked up with my sister. Something I know we are going to absolutely cherish.

We were blessed with so many wonderful gifts, some hand made and all that had a lot of love and thought put into them. Thank you so much for the wonderful shower for our baby to be.

And finally... Our trip home wouldn’t have been complete without a visit to see our favourite new parents and little man. After the shower we finally were able to find some quality time to spend with Josie, John and Baby Evan.  What a special little family. Josie and John are glowing, Evan is growing and so precious that you will want one just like him upon first glance.  We love you guys and can’t wait to spend more time together when we’re home with our new addition!

This week is MOVING WEEK! Hooray!  This family has a home and we will fill it with all the wonderful gifts and love you have given to us. Xoxoxo

Heads OR Tails?

It's official. After a bit of a coin flip (or body flip in this case), our little boy has finally chosen tails. He is coming out head first, and is definitively back in the bum up and head down position. Fantastic!  We had an ultra-sound today to confirm his position and to have the normal healthy baby checks. The doctor who studied our ultra-sound report told us that the baby is 5 1/2 pounds and is estimated to be about 7 1/2 pounds at birth (totally doable), presenting in the cephalic position (head down) and top to bottom appearing to be an extremely healthy baby. You know what he did then? He looked Peter straight in the eye and said "Well Done".  I had to laugh when Peter sheepishly looked over at me, and said "Good Job".   It was like being told that the cake I have been baking for 36 weeks is estimated to turn out just perfectly and being congratulated on the prep and baking work. Weird. And exciting. Very exciting.

You know what I feel like I have all of the sudden? Time. And while that might be a fool's gold because we all know this baby could come ANY day, it's given me some relief that we will be moved and settled before this show hits the road. Excellent! So we're happy... the house is 80% done and our baby is healthy, happy and head down once again. 

Love you all!

Don’t Blink Yet

  Is it Friday yet? And are these renos over yet? If not, wake me up when they are.

This trip home to Almonte could not have come at a better time. We need a break. Two people can only make so many trips and deal with so many sales people from Home Depot, IKEA and Future Shop in one week.  I am embarrassed to tell you how many car trips, website visits and phone calls we have made to these companies.  Way too many this week alone.  Way too many last night alone.  Our over the range microwave doesn’t fit. Surprise Surprise. And the wonderfully helpful sales guy from Future Shop who treated us like gold while we bought our appliances a month ago, was a total ass*ole about it yesterday.  Also not a surprise, he made me cry. I may feel fabulous (despite the swelling) but tears come pretty easily these days.  So  I called to see what options we had in terms of another microwave or a hood and he immediately told me it wasn’t his fault that I didn’t measure properly and because we bought a “package” we would owe all kinds of other money for the other pieces in the package if I returned the microwave.  I didn’t even MENTION returning the microwave. I am HEARTBROKEN that it doesn’t fit.  I just wanted help figuring out what to do.  WTF. Anyway, Peter brought it back last night out of principle of making his wife cry and walked out of there with a full return and no up charge on the other appliances.  All I will say, is sometimes tears and pregnancy are a powerful combination. 

What a Jerk.

And who knew that when you buy an IKEA kitchen as a PACKAGE they don’t give you the WALL brackets to install the WALL cabinets to the WALLS in said PACKAGE. Because “not everyone chooses to use our brackets, and no it’s not a common question from our kitchen specialists to ask if you’re going to need them. You should know”.  Well I didn’t know. So add two more trips to IKEA in one day to sort that out.  This is after we already drove there two times to pick up items they FORGOT to include in our PACKAGE.  You know small things like the LEGS for the cabinets.

And to be honest, I really can’t say anything bad about Home Depot. Well, except I hate their self serve check outs. They don’t work, and EVERYONE ends up needing help anyway and getting super frustrated in the process. Other than that, being open until MID-NIGHT has actually been helpful to us, and they matched the very expensive Farrow and Ball paint colour that I fell in love with for our kitchen to their much more budget friendly Behr brand and it’s an EXACT match. And it’s beautiful.

Whew. I needed to get that off my chest. Thanks. Renos aren’t fun, but you know what will be.... Cooking in my new home for my new family will be. Holding my baby and my husband in my new home will be, and inviting all you over to see the hard work and changes that have passed since we took possession of our home in early May will be.  And that my friends is the prize we have our eyes on.

Almost there.

So back to going home this weekend. Home. It’s funny I still call it that.  The truth is, in ways, Almonte is always going to be home.  You can have two homes right?  Sure you can.

So as we drive out of Toronto on Friday afternoon we’re leaving all of this behind us. Literally.  Because as of next week, we’re moving INTO our new home.  So as Peter likes to say... Now that I have vented for an ENTIRE blog post, it’s all PAST TENSE and time to move on.  MOVING on. :)

Can’t wait to see all of you this weekend.  It’s been too long since we have been home.

XOXO

Home is where our crib is

Wow. Things have been B-U-S-Y.  Scott and Scott (our contractors) have been working away during the day at our home to finish their part of our reno, just as fast as their hands and legs can move.  Not only are they doing a great job with the renovation details, but they are doing an excellent job dealing with my pre-baby anxiety and heightened nesting emotions (more on that later).  The demo day was probably easier than dealing with my changing moods these days. Ask Peter.

But things are really coming together, and this baby has been a real trooper as I have tried to work my way through a week of painting almost every night. Today... We finished. HOORAY! Everything we need to paint before we move in, is done. That feels great. I can feel tears of joy from my swollen feet.

You know what else we did today?!  We set up the baby’s crib. My wonderful mom and dad drove all the way from Almonte for the day to bring down a truck load of baby gear (thank you Stephanie, Brian, Jenna & Nate for the wonderful hand-me-downs that we will cherish) and to help us set it all up.  It is literally the FIRST piece of furniture in our new home. I told you the baby’s room would be my priority. The room isn’t done. It isn’t even close to be done. But having a crib set up, a change table and a rocking chair all ready and waiting makes me feel better.  THANK YOU MOM & DAD!!!

 

So the truth is, we were told at our last two doctor’s appointments that our baby boy is breech. At one point he was head down, but the last two appointments... He has been head up.  As time ticks by the window sort of starts to close for him to move positions but we’re of course hopeful he will continue shifting. I feel him moving... Moving like crazy, all the time. So you never know. We have an ultra-sound booked for this week to verify his position and then it’s quite possible we’re going to start preparing ourselves for what could happen if he doesn’t shift.  And that news, given to us about 3 weeks ago has had my anxiety level rising. 

It would seem this baby is going to continue to call his own shots, including his birth day (being around the anticipated due date or two weeks before), and his chosen mode of arrival into this world.

Anyway, we’re in the home stretch. Next weekend we head home to Almonte for what will be our last trip before we officially become a family of three. We’re looking forward to our first weekend in what feels like forever with out anything to do at the house.  Maybe I can get the paint out of my hair before we head home.
 

It has been a LONGGGGGG Weekend

A very long weekend indeed, but a very productive one.  I am actually probably too tired to blog right now, but as the fireworks sound outside our Cabbagetown apartment and the Habs/Flyers game winds into the last 2 minutes on tv, this mamma is truly BEYOND ready for bed but I would be sad if I didn’t close out this weekend with some notes on all the happened.

Friday night prep kicked off what would turn into a weekend of work for Peter and I. We made what was our first of MANY trips to Home Depot. We went to the grocery store and brought our BBQ to Baltic Ave, all in prep for what was to come this weekend.

A great deal of work was to come... Jobs and details that we need to work our way through before we move, and will never be completed without the help of family and friends. Thankfully, we were blessed to have a number of people come over the long weekend to lend us a hand.  I will admit, there was a point last week where I was so full of anxiety about everything we need to accomplish in the mere SIX WEEKS we have before out baby arrives, that I couldn’t sleep.  With each passing day this weekend, my anxiety has lessened a little bit and for the first time I think I am seeing real glimpses that 42 Baltic Avenue will one day be home.

I have special thank yous for Lisa, Lainey, Steve, Margaret, Don and Phil who all came down on Saturday to help us with a day full of painting, yard work and carpet cleaning.  And to Cedar and Seth who joined us on Sunday and helped us sand and paint our baseboards, the stairs, and install a plate rail in the baby’s room that turned out to be FAR more complicated that I anticipated. Sarah Richardson sure makes things seem more simple than they are. You were all amazing to spare a day over your long weekend to help us out!

I am covered in paint head to toe. Literally I am. I backed into a fresh painted wall today and covered my ponytail. I also ache everywhere. My energy amazed even me this weekend. I painted on ladders for hours, I washed floors on my hands and knees, and I carried boxes of cabinets to organize them (I know mom, I shouldn’t).  The truth is... In my effort to nest, I sometimes forget I am pregnant.  And then when I stop, even for 10 minutes, my body reminds me. It reminds me that no matter how urgent I feel the need to complete our nest, what will be, will be and my body has more important things going on. And probably most significant of all my realizations, when I was sitting with Peter on our back deck tonight, I was reminded that it just takes US to make it home.

Sending love out to all that helped us this weekend. And also to Josie, John and Baby Evan who had their first few days together at home this weekend.

Xoxox
K 

Welcome to the world baby Fenech!

Josie and John had their baby this week!!  And could this baby be any cuter?!

I have been texting back and forth with Jos and she is doing well and their little man is filling their moments and lives with more love than they ever imagined possible. Just how it it's meant to be. She is going to be going home from the hospital tomorrow and Meliss and Lou are headed up from Toronto to visit the new family!  I really wish I could be there too. I am super sad about it. But in a couple of weeks I will be home in Almonte and will be able to squeeze my girl and meet her gorgeous little man and hopefully see a lot more family and friends too!

Sending love out to the new man in our lives (who doesn't have a name that I know of yet, but he will soon, and it will be perfect), and all my girlfriends who will be enjoying a quiet and fun weekend in Almonte. Drive safe!

XO

Showered with love

This weekend's ongoing reno chaos and mad dash to prepare for our +1's arrival was marked by two moments of pure loveliness. The first was the pre-natal massage my wonderful husband surprised me with last week (booked for early saturday morning) and the other was the incredible shower that was hosted by Sarah & Margaret (Peter's mom and sister) in Peterborough.

We arrived to Peterborough at noon on Sunday, and were immediately greeted with this fantastic sign prepared on the Shaughnessy front lawn. Peter's mom Margaret is know for her sign making and this one was certainly one of the more elaborate ones we have seen. Undoubtedly prepared with much love and anticipation as the excitement grows for the baby's arrival.

A wonderful group of Peterborough family and friends (Peter's aunts, cousins, cousin's children, and some local friends) were present to enjoy a sunny day of laughter, chatter, delicious food, and to give our baby the most wonderful showering of Shaughnessy/Peterborough love I think we could have asked for.  The generosity of the gifts, the hugs, and the warm words of loving advice have truly touched us and have helped us get one step closer to feeling prepared for the arrival of our baby.

A special thank you to Margaret who has been preparing non-stop for Sunday's shower with the love and special attention to detail only a grandma knows and feels. We appreciate very much all the work and details that you put together to make such a beautiful party happen in your home.  And also to Sarah who did not miss a single detail in her preparation for this day. Every detail filled with her love...  check out those fruit shapes on the skewers!! I think you inspired everyone, but especially the three of us.

We love you very much and this baby can't wait to meet you all!

 xoxoxox

I love my husband

I am feeling emotional today... and while I am not sure if that makes today any different than the other 32 weeks of pregnancy I have experienced, I just wanted to say how much I love my husband. He has changed my life in so many positive ways. I couldn't be more excited to be building a home and a family with him. I can't wait for what life brings our way. xoxoxo

And the swelling and pelvic pain begins...

So, ever since I posted a blog entry a couple of weeks ago about how great I was feeling and perhaps even may have even bragged about wearing heels still and that my rings still coming on and off with ease...  I haven’t felt so great.  I shouldn’t have tempted fate. I know better. Because slowly, over the last couple of weeks I have been noticing some pretty big changes in my body, my energy, and a lot of swelling and aches that just weren’t there before. Is this what the last 8 weeks are going to be like? Is the home stretch meant to be painful?

My biggest complaint these days is the pelvic pressure and pain I have been experiencing since Sunday.  It caught me by surprise. I was expecting some soreness, but not sore ‘there’.  What I was expecting was some common everyday swelling. You know, swollen feet and hands... (which I also have),  but pelvic pain wasn’t on my list of upcoming adventures.  So given my next doctors appointment isn’t until this Friday I am doing some self diagnosing and I am pretty sure what I am experiencing is nothing to be too concerned about given the Internet says it’s “common”.  Common for the unlucky ones that is. 

Apparently there are two major causes of pelvic pain & pressure during pregnancy. An expanding uterus presses on your pelvis, causing pain and pressure. This happens as pregnancy moves on, and the baby becomes larger  (our little guy is supposedly weighing in at about 3 1/4 pounds) and moves deeper and deeper into your pelvic area. Basically it feels like someone is pushing from the inside on my pelvis. Pushing hard. Amazing.

And if that wasn’t enough, the second major cause of pelvic pain & pressure during pregnancy is the stretching of ligaments. As the ligaments that support your uterus thin and stretch, they can cause sharp, almost stabbing pains on the side of your pelvis. This pain can stretch all the way down to the thighs. The sciatic nerve may also be crowded, causing a painful or sometimes a numb feeling in this area as well.  For real. These are the special details no one shares about pregnancy.

How am I supposed to move and paint and decorate and finish MANY work details and be a pleasant loving wife when something is crowding my sciatic nerve and causing sharp stabbing pains and numbness I ask you?  No really, I am asking you..?

Anyway, aside from the pressure I am feeling ‘inside’, we’re actually moving along on other things on the ‘outside’ quite well. Next update will be about the renos!

XO

Making a house a home

And let it begin...

Home Ownership.  So, we get our house keys tomorrow night from our lawyers and the ball will officially be rolling.  I honestly never thought this day would come. Today is the last night Peter and I have never owned a home.

So it occurred to me that I haven’t really told you much about my plans for the baby’s room besides little details here and there.  As soon as I get in the door of our house, it’s my first priority.  Which is probably silly given the baby will sleep in a bassinet like everyone tells me for a while, but I want it done.  And as Peter will tell you, when I want something done, there is not much sense reasoning with me.

So way back when I was in Los Angeles in the VERY early spring I was inspired by the sun that I missed so desperately and a pottery barn nursery bedding sale. If I had a home at that very moment, the baby’s room would be yellow, and his bedding would have the cutest and softest farm animals to keep him company while he sleeps.  But... As always the case with me, if you give me too much time to think about something instead of just DOING it, I will change my mind. So I am no longer painting the baby’s room yellow and I sold all the Pottery Barn bedding I bought in LA on craigslist.

And now I am inspired by blue.  Truly, blue has always been my favourite colour. I gravitate to it. Navy blues, aqua blues, turquoises, gorgeous royal blues, Maple Leaf Blue :) ... And a blue sky makes me just as happy as a sunny sky does.  And they go well together.  So the baby’s room is going to be a wonderful mixture of blue tones.

The baby’s bedding quilt that I have replaced since selling the original (which I will be honest, when I found this it made me want to change EVERYTHING. It reminded me of a quilt Helen would have made. It made me happy to think of her having a part of the baby's room).  So the quilt, together with some fabric I bought for some throw pillows, and some fabric I am using for a roman blind (not pictured)  are my colour inspirations. You might recognize the polka dot fabric from my sewing classes. I used the same fabric for a zippered pouch (and bought far too much of it). 

Coincidentally, Sarah Richardson unbeknownst to me totally stole my idea and also used the SAME fabric in a nursery she decorated (two years ago). :)  So, she has given me my inspiration for the walls.  The walls will be a delicious cream colour, complimented by a 3 ft blue border around the ceiling, separated by a white piece base boarding or plate rail.   And of course you have seen the high boy we’re refinishing and I have other details up my sleeve for decoration... But that will have to wait for the reveal.

I can’t wait to get started.

Oh... and what I HAVE STARTED is a shower curtain for our bathroom.  I had NO IDEA that matching patterns when you're sewing two pieces of fabric together would be this difficult. But... I am happy to say the hard part is done. I just have to hem it now with a band of material I bought for the bottom and put some grommets in for the curtain rings.  Isn't it cute?!  I can't wait to see it wrapped around our claw foot tub. Coincidentally, I also can't wait to get IN our claw foot bathtub. A year living with only a shower is long enough.

Until tomorrow. OX

A very T-I-R-E-D appreciation for Moms

Wow... 9pm and it’s lights out. While 9pm is in fact not a record for the earliest I have put myself to bed while pregnant (sadly, it’s not even close), I have quite literally already fallen asleep at least a half dozen times today. It’s been a BUSY couple of days.

Mom & Steph arrived into Toronto for a visit late Thursday night with Jenna and Nate in tow. Wide eyed and giggly as they were (up WELL PAST their bedtime of 630-7pm), I picked the four of them up at 10:45pm in front of Union Station. I took one look at my sister and was happy I had stopped at the liquor store and splurged on some nice wine for her. She too was VERY happy for the wine, but particularly grateful for my mom who decided just a few weeks ago that Stephanie was overly ambitious (MAJORLY ambitious) to think she could go it alone with her two year old and a four year old on an evening train from Smith Falls to Toronto. Alone = Crazy. One glass of wine down... And I believe she was only able to mutter this... “Had I been alone, I would have been off in Kingston”.  God bless her for being a brave mom. Very brave.

My niece and nephew are the two biggest loves of my life to date, aside from Peter of course.  They have boundless energy, boundless love, say the funniest things, and god they are cute. Super cute. But for the holy love of sweet christ are they busy.   And in a 800 square ft apartment, on a couple of rainy cold days in Toronto, two kids completely off their schedule having stayed up HOURS past their bedtime and up at 6am the next day... Well, you can imagine that I was simply no match for them. 7 1/2 months of pregnancy showed it’s true colours.  EXHAUSTION.

But we had fun. Lots of fun!!! And I am super glad they came down for a visit. Time is ticking by, and as I approach 32 weeks pregnant moments like we had over the last 48 hours are truly going to be few and far between. Besides being home in June for Adam & Kelly’s stag and doe and my shower, this will be one of the last times I see my family before the big BIRTH DAY. And if I am super honest, we (and by we, I mostly mean me), needed a distraction from the self absorption of our own lives (pregnancy, baby prep, house prep, baby prep, mat leave prep, reno prep, house prep, house prep, house prep... etc etc etc).

And that I got.

So what did we get up to??  Well, let’s see. We watched two movies (like 3 times each), we visited Riverdale Farm (Nate did that twice too), we went to the Science Center (which was super fun), we ate burgers, we ate banana pancakes, we ate grill cheese sandwiches, we went to the park, we painted, we coloured, we sang and danced, we listened to Peter play guitar, we listened to records, we slept (sort of), and we drank coffee and wine. Lots of coffee and wine (well, I didn’t drink wine, but I dreamt of drinking wine).

I didn’t say it to my mom and sister while they were here, but I hope they both know... On the eve of Mother’s Day, that I love them very much, and they are my two biggest inspirations as I grow closer and closer to becoming a mom to my very own.  Thank you for being here for me and thank you for making the trip to see us. Now lights out.

Happy Mother’s Day!!!
This song is for my niece and nephew.


Love,
K, P and our +1

Building a nest

And here is begins... What begins you ask?  Nesting.  Horray!!!

This week will mark the official signing of the documents that will symbolize (legally) the final step in us owning 42 Baltic Avenue.  We meet our lawyers on Thursday, and if all goes as planned (cross your fingers), we will have our keys a week from tomorrow (May 10th), and start our planned demolition and renos May 11th.  Tick. Tock.

Speaking of time ticking away, our weekend was jammed pack yet again with house details, reno details, moving details, Josie’s wonderful baby shower, and a yummy dinner club dinner too!

And today... Despite the weather warning, Peter and I decided to venture out to do something we have been dying to do forever. An Antique hunt.  And oh what a hunt it was.

Since deciding to buy a house I have of course become absolutely addicted to HGTV.  Peter and I endlessly watch house hunters, property virgins, DIYers, Sarah’s House, Holmes on Holmes, Flip This... And the list goes on. The more we watch, the more ideas we get for our own particular style which my ever so stylish friend Lou has helped us name, it’s a modern farm house mixed with a few touches of shabby chic (wait until you see the gorgeous wide plank barn board hardwood we’re putting in).

So, one of the wonderful things about living in Toronto is being a close proximity to all the shops and antique fairs that many of the designers on HGTV use for their renos.  Sarah Richardson is a name you all know... But where she is able to constantly find dirt cheap deals on fabulous antiques, accents, and amazing pieces of furniture that she simply paints and adds some elbow grease and new hardware to, probably not.

And here began our Antique hunt.   We need some stuff for the house, and with the renos and some things being a bit more than we had planned... We need some deals. So, I have spent the last couple of weeks searching through blogs, the HGTV website, and Sarah’s own design site to put together a list of the “must” visit antique fairs and antique stores. You know, the ones far far away from Queen Street in Toronto... In hopes of finding the bargain prices Sarah does.

Jack Pot.

Today Peter and I headed to a huge antique market outside of Guelph in search of a dresser for the baby’s room and whatever else we may stumble upon for the house.  We were not disappointed. We found the cutest solid oak high boy dresser that even has it’s own hat box, a shabby chic mirror with a separate matching hook piece for the front door and a bright yellow school bus sign that we just couldn’t leave behind. It’s going to go in the baby’s room.  The best part is... All of this cost us less than $200.00!!!! Believe it.  Oh... And we met a very talented furniture maker who more than likely is going to help us with a harvest table sometime down the road... When we sell my black high top.

So our first nesting project has begun.  We’re going to refinish the highboy. Today we started simply with some good cleaning and prep before we sand. I washed the inside and out with Murphy’s Oil while Peter did some work on the drawers outside. It might not look like much right now, but it’s solid oak... It just has to be gorgeous.

So. Much. Fun.

PS. I ache everywhere.

Bedtime.

xo

30 years, 30 weeks and 30 days

You know what being 30 years old and 30 weeks pregnant on the 30th means?  It’s a champagne pregnancy!!! Kidding, I am quite sure it doesn’t mean that, but for my mental health let’s call it a champagne coincidence. These are the things that amuse me these days. Thinking about champagne.  And maybe what IS interesting is that the 30,30,30 is happening in the year of my real champagne birthday. 31 on the 31st. It’s going to be a champagne July folks. You’re not going to want to miss it.

We just have got to make it there.

To be honest though, I can’t really complain about anything. For 30 weeks pregnant, I feel fantastic. I wear heels everyday to work, people tell me my skin is glowing, my rings still come on and off with ease, I am sleeping (for the most part) at night, work is actually the best it has been in months, I feel like I am clear headed and contributing to a successful wrap up for my team, we had a great doctors appointment yesterday – the baby is healthy, happy and head down, ... What more could a pregnant woman want? 

How about 10 minutes to pretend we don’t have a TO DO list that isn’t 10 pages long.

Things are busy. Crazy busy. Peter and I have something to do, or see, or buy, or talk about, or meet about ... Every single night. I have a shelf life of “feeling fantastic” until about 6pm. So things are probably too busy, but when has that ever been something I DON’T do to myself.  But we’re excited. REALLY excited. And at the end of all this hard work, guess what our reward is?  A new home, and a BABY.  I know. Crazy.

So... You’re going to start seeing a lot of before and after pictures of our house. We’ve got some renos planned, some painting planned, some landscaping planned, and some décor and furniture planned. Which reminds me, I need to get my (and by my I mean Stephs) sewing machine serviced.  If this baby comes early, heck whos kidding who, if he even comes on time, we will only get through 1/18 of my list, but a home it is and a home it will be.

More later... It’s well past our bedtime.

Oh... we finally bought a crib!

First birthdays, and going back to work

This is the stuff that has consumed my ever active brain all day today. I kid you not. Can you believe that I am only seven months pregnant and we already need to be thinking about child care for what happens when I go back to work in the summer of 2011?!  I haven’t even organized my mat leave yet, but somehow I am managing to organize or at least THINK about my RETURN from mat leave. Welcome to Toronto. The child care wait list capital of Canada.

When I became pregnant and it was evident a move back to Ottawa to be closer to my mom wasn’t going to be an option for us in the near future, I was given two pieces of advice. (1) start looking for a pediatrician. Immediately. (2) start looking for child care. Immediately. I was barely showing. So I did what any responsible newlywed and newly pregnant woman would do, I mostly dismissed both of these pieces of advice as crazy.

Fast forward to today... and countless more pieces of strong encouragement to start thinking about childcare. We have our pediatrician (YAY!) and today was our first visit to one of many child care facilities that we’re going to be checking out, putting our names on waiting lists, and waiting patiently for the next 14 months to find out if we get in or not.  Crazy.

So.... Our first visit was ok. But JUST ok. I mean, come on, we don’t know what we’re doing. We don't even know our baby's name yet... let alone what questions to ask about child care. We don't know what’s going to be important to us down the road.  Until we're down the road!  But, I will tell you this... I almost broke down in tears a dozen times. I welled up at least three times as the friendly women showed us where the kids eat, play, sleep, are changed.  I don’t even have a baby yet (so to speak) and I am already heartsick over the idea of leaving him to be cared for by strangers.  I did make a few interesting observations today though;

(1) kids only cry for the first minute after their parents leave. Really. I witnessed it three time this morning. I bet the crying stopped long before the keys hit the ignition of their parents car. I felt so bad for the parents though that I almost ran after a couple of them to tell them myself. You know... Being impartial and all.

and

(2) There are way more dads that do drops off than moms. This has me curious. Maybe like me, other moms find this way tougher than dads. Actually... The one amusing moment this morning was when there were three blue pin strip suits in the drop off room at one time (Peter’s was one of them).  It made me smile. I like the thought of Peter dropping of our little boy.  He will be better at this than me. Without a doubt.

Anyway, just another hill on the rollercoaster right?  And one more thing to cross off my list. Although, we’re seeing like 8 of these places in the next 8 weeks. So hang on tight.

XO

Birth is the pinnacle where women discover the courage to become mothers

Don’t laugh. That quote is courtesy of Janice Holsmer, official pre-natal coach to Peter, me and our +1.

That’s right, we’re officially signed up for pre-natal classes and a hospital tour. We have debated this decision over the last little while... the if, the when, and the where we should sign up to take pre-natal classes. I will be honest, with the mountain of other things on our list to do, it just hasn’t made it past page three.  Until last week’s doctor’s appointment. The look and feeling of absolute horror and shock I felt when the nurse announced I had to get my shot (the one I got because Peter and I have different blood types) IN MY HIP, when I thought it was going into my ARM, said it all. We need pre-natal classes. We need them, because I am not good with surprises. And the less surprises driven by sheer naivety (unless happy ones like the surprise of a super super super quick birth), the better.

As my wise friend Josie put it, these babies are coming out one way or another... And she’s right. For whatever reason though, having now just spent $130.00 to be walked through what may or may not happen the day of our baby’s birth is both reassuring and terrifying.  Mostly because I can’t hear stories about a baby’s birth right now without my eyes welling up with tears. I don’t know if that means I am overwhelmed by excitement and emotion, or just flat out scared. Probably both.

While I know we could never fully prepare for everything our baby’s birth is going to bring, knowing details like where a needle goes, what our options are in different circumstances, who gives me the pain killers, and where we go in the hospital once the show is officially on the road, is a good idea for my sanity. And my sanity = Peter’s happiness. YAY.

So the pre-natal prep package I received via email promises the following benefits to taking these classes;

1. Prenatal Classes will give you and your partner the information you need to make decisions that are right for both of you
2. Prenatal classes will give you a better understanding of the process of natural childbirth
3. Prenatal classes will help you and your partner become familiar with the many options that are available to you
4. Prenatal classes help give you confidence in preparing for your birth experience
5. Prenatal classes give you a better understanding of alternative pain relief methods that are available
6. Prenatal classes help prepare you and your partner for what to expect during labour, birthing, breastfeeding, newborn care and the postpartum period
7. Prenatal classes give you a chance to ask questions, to voice concerns and to share experiences
8. Prenatal classes will help you to sort through some information that may be inaccurate or out of date

Or your money back.

Kidding. They don’t offer a money back guarantee. But perhaps they should. Using the words “will give you”, is sort of like a promise isn’t it? Sounds like one to me.

Anyway, in the midst of the sheer chaos we have planned for ourselves in the next 6-8 weeks. Spending an entire day together focused on the baby and our "birth-day" will be a really wonderful thing for all of us.

Never a dull moment

As Peter and I drove home from work the other night and chattered away about all the things on the agenda for the week, he looked at me with a smirk I know and love and said “do you think once the baby comes, and we’re settled in our new house and everything is calm, we will be bored?”.   I laughed out loud, but one would wonder.  Well in fact we have started to wonder... Both things; if life will ever seem calm again with a newborn to care for, and also if we’re not moving at lightening speed doing something, if we will indeed be bored.

Peter and I have been on quite the ride.  Since the summer of 2008 we have accomplished what most (sane) couples do over years. And years. And Years.  First dates, first vacations, first apartment together, first engagements, wedding planning, the wedding, the honeymoon, pregnancy SURPRISE, first time house hunting, our first home, planning our first renovations and... Still to come... Our first born.  Oh... And throw in some new jobs, a temporary move to a new city, and a partridge in a pear tree.

We’ve been unstoppable.

And we're crazy.

Well, I am crazy. And Peter loves me.

And no time to slow down now! We have a lot to do. A lot. I have two lists. One work related as I plan for my departure here (HORRAY), and one personal related. The personal list is 5 pages long. The work one is not. When did my life all of the sudden become busier than my job?  In 2008 that’s when. When all my priorities changed. When building a life with the man I fell so quickly in love with became more important than everything else.  Sometimes I think Peter still doesn’t realize what hit him. Lol.

So as we furiously plan the renovation, the repair, the décor, and the moving details of getting ourselves into our new home, and prepared for the arrival of our little guy (who coincidently we have as of this week started to refer to BY NAME)... I can’t help but be of the delusion that life can’t possibly be busier with a new born than what we have already experienced over the last two years and in particular what we’re facing in the next 6 weeks.  Am I right?  Being on mat leave will be like a vacation compared to all this?

Here’s hoping.

So here is the super exciting news (besides the visit to our new house last night to confirm we don’t have buyers remorse and DO indeed love the place)! Peter’s family has graciously offered to have a SHAUGHNESSY SHIVAREE to help us prepare. For those of you who don’t know what that is (I didn’t), it’s the most wonderful offer I think I have ever in my life been given. Basically what happens is we create a list of TO DO’s, like painting rooms/doors/decks, fixing holes in the wall, cleaning carpets, hanging light fixtures, hanging blinds and curtains, weeding gardens, planting flowers, making pillows etc etc. and a huge group of family and friends comes to help. They come to help for one weekend or whatever time they can spare... We supply the beer and bbq and they collectively work their way through our list. Could you imagine anything more wonderful?  Peter’s uncle Steven and Jules suggested this when we saw the Shaughnessy clan on the weekend and I think Peter and I almost cried in unison.  Could you imagine?  It’s apparently something they have done in their family over time. We have already started our TO DO list and with me at 7 months pregnant when we close, and 8 months pregnant when we move, this stuff would take us YEARS.  Anyway, we’re excited and feel so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.  It looks like it’s going to be May 22nd.  I am hoping we can get some Raycroft’s and Bryne’s down as well... And some of our Toronto friends to join us too. Like the really talented Cedar Nisbet, and Seth Richards. As an example of course.  SO MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! PLEASEEEEEEEE

We have 12 weeks to go.  The first picture you will see of the three of us together, we will be lounging.

Bored out of our minds I am sure. :)

Girlssssssssssssssssss Weekend

Just in the nick of time... better left unexplained and later you can just enjoy the stories. Tomorrow, four of the best girlfriends in the whole world arrive from Ottawa/Almonte, to join 5-6 best girlfriends in the whole world (Toronto edition) in what we hope is yet another girls weekend to remember. Which there is no doubt obviously. We have never done one with TWO of us pregnant... but there is a first time to enjoy for everything right? And... this girls weekend in particular, is marked by a great deal of things to celebrate, to hug and cry out, and perhaps best of all to drink, talk, and dance silly.  I can't wait.

xoxo

Our House!

It's late and there is so much more detail to share... but as of 11pm tonight, we officially have OUR HOUSE! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! So I won't ruin all the details until I write a proper blog update... but until then, I will leave you with this awesome song and the wine that Peter opened tonight (and is currently enjoying) that we bought the day after our wedding. If it wasn't such a special occasion I would be in tears that I can't partake in the downing of a bottle of red on Monday too.

Until tomorrow!

Knowing and Feeling like Parents

Peter and I had what we will tell you was our first real experience FEELING like parents on Friday. That is the scary and emotional part of this blog entry, but what I will also tell you right now, this all has an extremely happy ending.

Friday morning Peter and I headed to my scheduled regular check up with our obstetrician. I did a glucose test early before my appointment (where they make you drink that awful orange drink and then check your blood an hour later to make sure you’re not at risk for gestational diabetes), and then we met with Dr. Spitzer (who we love). I come to every doctor’s appointment with a list of questions I have thought up in the weeks between my current appointment and my last, and typically as Peter and I rattle off questions, Dr. Spitzer laughs at us, and rattles off answers. Things were very much going exactly as I have described above until Dr. Spitzer put her doppler over my belly to listen to the baby’s heart, and she stopped in mid sentence and asked me to move onto my side. She told us she had heard a drop in the baby’s heart beat and wanted us to go to the hospital (which is next door to the office) and be hooked up to a baby heart monitor to have it checked. Our whole world stopped on Friday from that moment on.

The next few hours are a blur of sorting out parking, not being able to find where we were supposed to be in the hospital, finding out we needed to go through admitting, and finally the moment where we were in a room, with a baby heart monitor around my belly and the nurse flippantly telling me she couldn’t find the baby’s heart beat. I will remember that moment and how I felt for the rest my life. My eyes met Peter’s and the wave of emotion I felt I know was only something a parent can feel, or perhaps to put it better, a feeling only a parent knows. Fear, anxiousness, love, anger, sadness, and the most overwhelming sense of responsibility. Responsibility because this little guy is in my belly, and ultimately everything I do affects his health and growth. I couldn’t help but feeling solely responsible if anything was wrong.

So, as the nurse struggled to figure out the machine she was trying to use to find the baby’s heart beat, she tells me (1) to RELAX – not just once, but she says it TWICE. And (2) that maybe she’s having trouble because I am only 20 weeks and the baby is so small. I am 27 weeks (this nurse officially knew nothing to me after that moment) and if any of you have seen my belly, this baby is NOT small. And this is where when I think back to everything, I know this situation was a first for me. I was so overwhelmed, I couldn't find any words to use. Not even when the second “RELAX” came. In any other situation I would have wanted to reach out and either slap this woman, or assertively let her know that one more “RELAX” might just result in that. But I said nothing. I was speechless as I watched her try to work around me. But something on my face after the second "RELAX" did make her stop, look at me, and quietly apologize for it. It was then, I felt three massive kicks from inside my belly and finally opened my mouth to tell this idiot in front of me, “My baby is kicking, and I think your machine in broken”.

So here’s the happy part. We soon were introduced to the most wonderful RESIDENT ever. She was the silver lining to this whole experience. She was sweet, calming, sincere, smart, and worked quickly. She knew I was upset from the moment she entered the room and acted accordingly. She quickly had our little guy up on a ultra sound screen within seconds of being in the room and immediately without hesitation pointed out his heart, how strong it was beating, and how regular it was. She stayed with us for probably 10 minutes pointing out again to us all his body parts, his brain, his little legs and arms and face, and made comment of how ACTIVE he is and that THIS was what Dr. Spitzer heard and why the nurse may have struggled to pin point his heart beat with their weird sensitive machines as he was dancing all around. She finally said, we had absolutely NOTHING to be concerned about, that these things are common, and that our baby couldn’t possibly look or sound any healthier. Oh, and she confirmed again, we’re having a HEALTHY BABY BOY. The amount of relief that Peter and I felt in that moment will forever be personal to us, but I am sure you can imagine.

So several hours later, Peter and I (perhaps aged a few years) felt exhausted by emotion, but also stronger, smarter and more confident we’re ready to be parents. After Friday, we sort of felt ready for anything. So a wild, exhausting experience, but all is happy and healthy with the three of us. And more than ever, we cannot wait to meet our little man and become the family we're so excited to be.

Rain, rain go away, and come back with the third trimester, and breakfast in bed!

It’s been raining non-stop since Tuesday. Ok, so it’s only Wednesday…, which is a fair point. But after all the sun on the weekend, and now all this rain, this week already feels a million days long.

I am tired this week. Really tired. I haven’t been sleeping that well since the weekend, and I got up yesterday at 5am to go the gym and lifted weights for an hour. I regret that decision. I think it zapped whatever energy this rain hasn’t depleted from me. You know though, I can’t complain too too much. With all that is going on with us (both our jobs being crazy busy right now, the on-going house hunt, entertaining visitors, auditioning for TV shows, planning for the birth of this baby, and the work I can’t see but feel, as our baby grows bigger everyday) I have been feeling pretty good as of late. Happy. Healthy. And surprisingly, pretty sane. That’s right SANE. Hallelujah!

So let’s kick this THIRD Trimester off then!!! To celebrate, Peter arrived this morning to greet his very sleepy, but very grateful wife and baby +1 with breakfast and coffee in bed. Gold star for Pietro on what would have been a rainy miserable Wednesday. He made it a rainy fantastic Wednesday. ☺

Hopefully this period of severe tiredness is weather and over exercise related and not what is to come for the next 15 weeks. We gots a lot to do.

PS – I didn’t want to dedicate a whole blog post to this but I FINALLY went shopping for new bras the other day and to my holy shock… the girls have grown TWO full cup sizes. For real. It’s crazy. It’s the best part about being pregnant. Besides the baby stuff.

Love you.

Bikes, beaches, bunnies, babies and a bbq

B-Eautiful.

This morning I woke up to a beautiful hot sun beaming through our east facing bedroom window. So wonderfully warm, that when I finally got up and took a quick glance in the mirror, my cheeks were definitively a sun kissed pink. I immediately knew it was going to be a fantastic day.

After a lazy breakfast with Peter, I started in on my campaigning.  My bike ride campaigning. For weeks now I have been absolutely itching to pull our bikes out of the basement and take advantage of this beautiful spring weather and go for a long bike ride in the sun.  My campaign today was backed with articles from the internet (read out loud over breakfast) about the ‘how to’ of safe bike riding while pregnant and the ‘plan’  to use the fantastic  safe bike paths in the east end and take a casual/slow ride through Leslieville, the beaches and down to the water.  Just like we used to do last summer. 

Well, with one major difference… I wasn’t 6 months pregnant last summer.

The mention of my bike and bike riding has been a bit of charged point of discussion for weeks between Peter and I. Last Friday it was almost a stand-off.  He was riding to work, I wanted to as well.  I didn’t end up biking. My tires were flat, and so was Peter’s morning expression of disagreement of the notion.

 Speaking honestly, Peter has been uncomfortable, nervous, and probably even scared of the idea of me out on my bike in this city. Perhaps it’s the size of my belly and concern about my balance.  Or maybe because sometimes I get too excited while biking and don’t pay as close of attention as I should.  And a lot of it’s probably just the obvious.  I just flat out don’t know my body as well as I used to.

But today we made a plan.  We had a calm discussion together about how we would keep both me and the baby safe while we enjoyed the weather and I got back on my bike.  It’s easy to forget that even though our baby is growing inside my tummy, his safety and his health is something we’re both concerned about and get an equal say.  Peter understood that for whatever reason, being on my bike was important to me today, and we sorted out the safety requirements of the trip together.

We ended up taking that casual and leisurely cruise down through the east to the beach. We stopped for some iced drinks along the way and eventually ended up at Kew Gardens where we locked up our bikes, grabbed some bagel sandwiches and read/laid in the park while the Beaches Easter Parade marched through the streets around us.  We took it slow, I paid close attention to everything around me, and Peter sat protective watch to my side.

When we got to the beach, there were kids and babies everywhere as they sorted out their positions along the street waiting for the parade.  It was not lost on us as we examined each passing stroller (we’re trying to decide on which kind we want) and each passing couple with their children, that this is soon going to be our life.  In a few short months we’re not going to be the carefree couple laying around in the park, eating sandwiches and reading books while other parents chase their little ones (some crying, some laughing and some yelling) around us. We’re going to be one of them.  We’re going to be parents.  Maybe it was the sun, and the biking and all that fabulous fresh air, but today the idea of being parents in 3 months was exciting.  It made us laugh and smile. It made us happy.  We’re getting closer to being ready for this. Today we could feel that.

So a beautiful day in the sun, and a reunion with my beloved black beauty (my bike), wrapped up a wonderful weekend of visits with family, a lot of friends and some quality time with just the three of us as well. I have a tan on my face, a full belly from a fantastic Easter BBQ and a heart growing at the excitement of soon becoming a mom.

Happy Sunday Everyone!   

 

Here comes the sun

And these are the days us summer babies shine at our best. There is something about a bright sunshine that makes my eyes wider, my smile brighter, and my personality more playful.  I am a true Leo. I love the sun.  Our baby boy will also be a summer baby. This makes me so excited for the long gorgeous days of sunshine the two of us are going to spend together this summer walking the neighborhoods, parks and beaches of this city.  A whole summer to play together.  A summer baby, and a summer mom.  It’s going to be glorious.

Just as soon as we find a house.

So, offer #2 went in last night on a cute little semi-detached in Leslieville.  And... we lost in our very first bidding war!  How exciting (note my sarcasm). 12 offers went in, we were in the top two, we were asked to come back with our best offer. We move a bit, they moved more. They won. They actually won in the first round... So they outbid themselves.  Brutal.  But, we’re getting closer. And, we’re also getting more confident as our knowledge of the Toronto market and even all that boring crap about interest rates and long term equity/resale becomes more solid. Our agents are good.  They arm us with a ton of information, and then they watch/help us put the pieces together. But they never tell us what to do.  But the interesting thing is we’re getting it quickly.  Quicker then we thought we would. It’s sort of a game. I love a good problem to solve. When we see a place, and then find out what it sold for, I am pretty good at guessing within about a 5K variance now. 

So I was a bit sad this morning... But Peter made a good point by asking me if I was sad that we didn’t have a house yet, or was I sad about not having THAT house. And I was honest and said this time it was different, I was just sad about not having a house yet (the first round I felt heart sick I couldn’t have THAT house).  So... It wasn’t meant to be.  But one will be.

Until then... This sun makes everything seem so wonderful, doesn’t it? I am happy.

Mom and Dad are on their way here for a quick Easter visit, we have hockey tickets for tonight, and lots of plans to see friends over the weekend.

Happy Easter Everyone!

XO