Tuesday, February 26, 2008

30 weeks down, 10 (or so) to go!

I am now 30 weeks pregnant (and 2 days to be exact). I was at the doctor yesterday and will now be seeing him every 2 weeks until I get to 36 weeks. Everything with the baby is fine .. he thinks she weighs almost 3 lbs. now! I have to go for some more testing next week just to ensure that my glucose levels aren't too high. I've also been gaining weight alot more rapidly in the last few weeks than I have throughout the entire pregnancy! Since my last appointment 3 weeks ago, I've gained 6 lbs.! My total weight gain is still only 19 lbs. so I am gaining just the right amount, according to my doctor. He said that this is the time when the baby starts collecting fat under her skin, and this is why mothers often gain much quicker in the last trimester. Anyway ... I've got baby on the brain almost constantly these days, so I find it hard to write about much else ; ) We did receive our crib, and it is all set up and ready to go - we still need a lot more stuff, but we're getting there.




Peter is in Winnipeg this week .. on course ... again! He is completing a 'High Altitude Indoctrination' course. Now, why he has to do this since he already has 100 flying hours in fast jets - at high altitude - we're not really sure! He just does what he's told is all ... he'll be home on Friday. His winter survival course went well ... it ended up being a lot more cushy than he thought it would be. He was given rations to eat everyday - not just the gummies. And, he was given a sleeping bag and part of a parachute to use as a tarp for his shelter. He did have a hard time sleeping since it was quite cold (-24 the first night) .. but he did ok. He had several tasks to complete to keep him busy. One was to build a signal fire - it worked so well that a helicopter flew over him! Once they realized he was just practicing they waved and flew away. On the third and last morning they were given pancakes and sausage for breakfast in the little DND cabin that was in the area - this is where the guys were staying who were checking up on him, and the other two 'survivors'. He smelled like campfire when he came home - and was super dirty ... but he seemed to enjoy the experience.

We're still having really nice weather here - sunny, warm and melty every day! Fletch is really enjoying having his naps outside on the snow in the warm sun - and, sometimes, even he finds it bright : )




Team PM & tadpole

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Spring is springing!

It has been an exciting week in Cold Lake this week ... we hit the 0 degree mark! We had quite a nasty cold spell for a few days and then within a week we've gotten up to an average of about -2 ... makes such a huge difference! There is still a lot of snow (though not as much as Ottawa!), but its starting to melt a bit, and we are noticing that the days are getting longer. Spring is always an exciting time of year - but this year we have an additional reason to get excited about the season : )


This weekend we started getting the nursery decorated ... I posted some pics of the paintjob, and as you can see there is still work left to be done ... we're both pretty happy with the result so far though. We know that our crib is arriving this week (thanks Grandma & Grandpa to be!) so the room will start to take shape very soon! And no .. its not pink! I think the baby will have plenty of pink clothes so we didn't feel she needed a pink room too!




And, baby's wardrobe is also starting to take shape!



I'll add more pics once the room is complete : )

Team PM & tadpole

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Where to begin ??

Well, to all our faithful blog readers, I apologize for the long delay in getting this post up! What a busy month January was for us! The move back to Canada went very well, with a few tiny glitches, but nothing major. Fletch travelled very well and was eager and excited when we picked him up, but didn't seem affected by the trip at all. We were all excited (and exhausted) upon arriving in Cold Lake - anxious to see our new house. The house was completely finished, and the walkthrough with the builder went well. Since we arrived in Cold Lake a few days before possession of the house, we stayed in a really nice B&B overlooking the lake - though its just frozen and snow covered right now, its still pretty. The B&B was awesome - the lady gave us a huge room (actually, it was two adjoining rooms), two tv's, an ensuite bathroom and even lent us a doggie bed for Fletch! We were able to use the living room downstairs, that had a tv, boardgames, a fireplace and a little snack station - plus, Fletch was allowed to join us down there. It was like a little vacation for us all. We took Fletch down to the lake each day for a nice walk on the ice, while we all adjusted back to Canadian winter temperatures - brrr!






After a 5 day stay at the B&B, our furniture from storage in Ottawa arrived, so we were able to sort of move in to our house - we still didn't have any appliances. Well, we did have an extra fridge in the basement, and a microwave - so we were able to survive, but we still ate out most days anyway. We soon took a visit to the West Edmonton Mall for some new clothes & brand new appliances. Good times ... also, good to know that it is exactly a 3 hour drive from our door to the mall.





Peter started his job at AETE on Jan. 22, and has since been doing a lot of reading, and learning about what AETE does and how he will fit in. No flying yet though ... it seems like he will have some exciting adventures though - like a winter survival course! He is going to be sent out into the wilderness for 2 days, by himself to learn what to do in the event that he had to eject out of an aircraft (which does occasionally happen). So ... the only supplies he would have would be those provided in the ejection seat package - not a lot. There are high calorie gummies to eat to keep up energy levels, but he will have to build shelter, make fire etc. He seems to be pretty excited about this .. I sure wouldn't be! Although, one of his favorite shows is 'Survivorman' ... I'm sure he'll have an interesting tale to tell once home from that adventure!

As of today, we're still waiting for our small shipment of things to arrive from the UK, but we did get our car yesterday (finally!) and things are starting to feel normal again. We've been to church 3 weeks in a row, and are meeting new people each week. The church has been very inviting and we've already made some friends in the young adults group, Peter will be the newest sound technician, and I am trying to get to know the other 12 expectant ladies in the church - that's right, 12!! I think I should have plenty of other 'moms' to hang out with once baby comes along.

Speaking of baby ... I am now 27 and a half weeks. After meeting with my new doctor, my due date was changed back to the original date of May 6th. I'm still feeling really good and baby sure is growing! She kicks harder and harder each week, and she is a very active baby, especially when I lay down to go to sleep :) We are starting to get our nursery together, I've picked a paint color and we're getting excited to get some more furniture in there and have it turn into the cutest nursery there ever was :)



That's the big update for now ... I haven't finished telling you about our England/Scotland vacation, but I think that's kind of on hold for a bit - I'll try and post some of the best pics .. at some point ..

Team PM & tadpole (more like small frog these days!)