Peter is back to work

Today is Peter's first day back on the job .. he has a busy day ahead of him! In the last post I mentioned that he was lead FTE on 6 fleets of aircraft, but its actually 8 fleets! Needless to day he's going to have a lot of work on his plate, but he enjoys the work - mostly the flying : )


Here is a video of Ainsley jumping in the Jolly Jumper ... its pretty fun to watch her, she just loves it! In fact, as I type she is jumping and squealing and having a great time : )

Back in the swing of things

Hi everyone ... I apologize for taking so long to post a new blog entry, I know there are some of you who have been waiting and waiting ; ) Needless to say, we have been super busy since coming home from our 8 week holiday. We had a great trip and it was so great to see everyone, but it was nice to get back to our place and our routine. Although, we were both pretty homesick for a few days once we got back to Cold Lake. Our friends here were excited to have us back and to see how much Ainsley has grown - its been really nice spending time with all of them again.

So ... since we've been home we've been working on our yard. When we first came home we were surprised and a little horrified to find a weed forest all over our property! Some of these 'weeds' were more like trees and were as tall as me!! We honestly didn't think they would grow in the hard clay, but they did and we spent 2 days pulling weeds. Peter then worked on the deck for the rest of last week and has the top tier finished. Earlier this week we found out about a really good deal on topsoil, so we had that delivered and since then we've been raking the rocks and sticks out of it and getting our property graded so we can put down fertilizer/grass seed today. I don't think either of us realized how big our property was until the topsoil was spread - its huge! Its been a lot of work, but its going to be so nice to have grass and deck all done for next summer.





Ainsley making her contribution to the backyard.


Last week the weather was HOT and its supposed to be hot this weekend again, but the last two days have been pretty cool - so we've gone from shorts and a tank top to jeans, a sweater and hat.



Ainsley has been growing like a weed as they say ... she had her first round of shots last week and was 12 lbs., 1 oz., and 23.5" long. She is in the 50th percentile for her weight and length so she is just average. Hard to believe that she is almost 4 months old! She has become a very chatty/laughy/squealy baby and loves to stand up and talk to me face to face. She has even learned how to rollover from her front to her back. But, her latest favorite thing is her Jolly Jumper - she absolutely loves standing in there and jumping! She can spend up to a half hour in there jumping before she's tired. The other day she even fell asleep in it! It was the funniest thing and thank goodness I had the camera handy!!


She is still sleeping very well at nights and also for her naps. She now likes to have a blanket around her face or her head when she sleeps ... we often have to sneak in and move it off her face after she's asleep. Here she is napping in her bouncy chair with the blanket pulled up over her face!


In fact, she likes to pull alot of things up onto her head - she's so silly : )


And, as with all little girls - dressing them is half the fun! Here we are on our way to church last Sunday ... as you can see in the pictures, the headband didn't last too long.




Peter goes back to work on Monday. He is looking forward to it, but he also knows that its going to be super busy. He will be the lead Flight Test Engineer for 6 fleets of aircraft! Hopefully he won't have to travel too too much, but he's pretty sure that he'll be away a bit here and there. I am looking forward to starting some fall activities with Ainsley including a playgroup and maybe even swimming.
Now that I've gotten caught up with the blog I'm sure I'll be updating it regularly again : )

Team PM & Ainsley

Heading home

Well, 'home' isnt' really how I think of Cold Lake yet, especially now that I've been back in Ottawa over the summer : ) We are heading back west tomorrow - this time through Canada. I hope we see at least one moose, but I also hope its not in the middle of the road in front of our car. The side of road would suffice.

We had a really good time in Halifax, it was busy, but we got to see alot our friends and family in that part of the country. We visited Peter's parents in their new home in Indian Harbour Lake, and then stayed with Peter's aunt in Halifax. We also visited his grandparents cottage near Pictou and spent some time at Camp Evangeline ... sleeping in a very small cabin! At least it was only for 3 days. Ainsley has travelled really well and we haven't had one bad night with her on the whole trip! Even in the tiny cabin ...

While at the cottage we had a campfire on the beach. Ainsley was mesmerized by the flames for hours - she just sat on my lap and chewed my finger!



I'll add more pics and stories when we get back home ... for now, I have to go finish packing!

Team PM & Ainsley

Cutest baby ....

Here is Ainsley smiling for Grandpa before church on Sunday : )

Roadtrip 2008

Well, we're now in Nova Scotia ... and what a trip we've been having! Ottawa was busy and filled with lots of visiting, it was really great to see our friends and family there. Ainsley got to meet many people for the first time and experienced some other firsts as well: first fireworks & first swim on Canada Day, first karaoke party (she slept through most of it) & first l-o-n-g nighttime sleep. Last night she slept for 10 hours straight!!! We couldn't believe it ... but we didn't complain either, let's hope it continues : )

We'll be in Nova Scotia for a few weeks and have trips planned to Fortress Louisbourg, to Halifax to see friends & family and also to Peter's camp at Debert. Should be a fun few weeks and we'll try our best to keep you posted!

Team PM & Ainsley

Ottawa ...

We've been in Ottawa for almost 2 weeks ... the trip so far has been awesome and we've been having a great time hanging out with all of our friends/family. Ainsley is 2 months old today and has been a perfect angel (most) of the time. I forgot to bring the USB cord for our camera so I can't upload any of the pictures we've taken ... but, Peter's cousin posted one of us on facebook so I was able to post that one. I'll write more soon : )

Summer is coming ...

We have defined summer this year as the time that we'll be away from Cold Lake .... for 8 weeks we'll be travelling across the country (and through the States) to Ottawa and Halifax. We've been talking about this trip since we were in England! And now, it is upon us: we leave Monday morning - early. We're still not sure how this trip is going to go seeing that we now have a baby ... we know that she sleeps well in the car, let's just hope she'll also sleep when we reach our destination each night! Speaking of Ainsley ... she is 6 weeks old tomorrow and is now 8 lbs. She is still tiny, but the changes are becoming very noticeable. She's filling out alot and starting to get a little 'buddha' belly : ) We're really looking forward to showing her off to all of our friends and family on the trip - should be a good time! All that being said, I do have to mention that spring here has been beautiful - it has been very warm but no humidity during the day and nice and cool at night. Plus, the sun doesn't set until almost 11:00 pm - very nice for evening walks; the sunset is always really pretty pinks and purples over the lake.



She is starting to fit into more of her clothes and is now getting into 0-3 month stuff ... which she has TONS of so Mommy is having a lot of fun dressing her : )



Here we are heading out to Peter's baseball game. Ainsley is wearing a little sweater, hat and bootie set that my good friend Kristy made for her.


Fun things she is doing now include staring at her fist and moving it around; smiling in the morning when I go in to get her out of bed; focusing on our faces and looking into our eyes; cooing a little; watching toys put in front of her, especially her little wrist rattles. She has also started spitting up a bit here and there, which makes feeding (or 20 minutes after feeding) a little more interesting! We're having a blast and its so much fun watching her grow, learn and discover her world.

And a shout out for Fletch - today is his 8th birthday! He celebrated by eating a Dentabone : )

Team PM & Ainsley

Time really does fly!

Hard to believe that today is the first of June! Ainsley will be one month old tomorrow. The first month of parenthood has gone pretty well, and we are not as sleep deprived as we thought we'd be! Ainsley is a very good eater, and sleeper - she is now sleeping for 5.5 - 6 hour stretches at night which is very good for Mommy & Daddy. Last Wednesday she weighed in at 7 lbs. so she has now surpassed her birthweight and I honestly think I can notice her size changing almost daily! Things that fit her last week are now getting too small ... I guess I can now start to believe all those people who told me she'd 'grow like a weed'. And because she's getting bigger she was able to wear her first dress to church today.


She also had her first bottle of expressed milk this week ... this makes going out much more convenient - plus then Daddy can feed her too ; )


My parents visit went very well and it was so nice to have them here to show them around Cold Lake, to meet our friends, visit our church - and of course, to spend time with their new granddaughter. I think they enjoyed themselves ; ) My mom also got to come along to a shower that my friend Julia threw for Ainsley & I.




While my parents were here Ainsley received a special gift in the mail from my Uncle Roland and his family ... they made her a chair for her dolls and teddy bears - but of course, since she's so tiny we had to sit her in it for just a second : )


We're off to Ottawa this month and starting to really look forward to the trip ... despite the potential difficulties of travelling with an infant. We'll keep you posted!

Team PM & Ainsley

Grandma & Grandpa's first visit

My parents arrived on Saturday for a visit until Thursday ... we've been showing them the sites around town (not a whole lot to see .. ) and watching them interact with Ainsley. Here are a few pics:

Our 'kids'

Here are some pictures of Ainsley and her brother Fletch ... so far they are pretty indifferent to each other but Fletch has occasionally gotten excited to see Ainsley when she comes back from a nap.


And, as you can see, we have the same difficulties as other parents when trying to get the kids to look at the camera at the same time - is it so much to ask??



Team PM & Ainsley

Obsessed with baby

I'm sure all new moms (and parents for that matter) enjoy watching their babies sleep as much as I enjoy watching Ainsley sleep. Everytime she's napping I have a hard time resisting the urge to take photos of her - she is just so darn cute : )



I think there is another tendency with new parents: make your baby look silly to get a laugh ...

The first two weeks...

Today Ainsley is two weeks old ... the time is already going by too fast! She is doing very well and adjusting to her new home life like a champ. Funny enough she isn't even phased when Fletch barks, I guess she's used to hearing that sound as well as our voices : ) She loves to eat and is gaining weight steadily, though she hasn't quite gotten back to her birthweight - she weighed in yesterday at 5 lbs., 15 ozs.; still very tiny but growing! She gains about an ounce a day which is what is recommended, so we're happy with that. And, the best part is, she loves to sleep! We actually wake her once at night to feed her! Many people have told us that this isn't necessary, including our doctor, but due to her small size we've decided that its something we want to do. We just have to keep reminding ourselves that we're her parents so we can decide .. that is still kind of weird to us though!


Ainsley loves to be cuddled and talked to, she is starting to really notice our faces and likes when we make exaggerated expressions while talking to her - her eyes open really wide in reaction, and a few times she's tried to reach up for my face. She's been on quite a few outings in her short life including a bonfire last Friday night, the grocery store/Wal Mart etc. a few times, and the Watoto Childrens Choir this past Tuesday. She also went to her first baby shower on Wednesday night for her friend Natalie Erling who is about 1 month older. We also had a very lovely first Mothers Day; we had dinner at Clarks (best restaurant in Cold Lake), and Ainsley gave me a card with a Willow Tree collectible sculpture of a couple holding their new baby - and Daddy made me breakfast : P



Yesterday we visited Cold Lake Provincial Park for the first time and went for a little walk ... Fletch got to swim in the still somewhat icy water - I guess there's a reason they call it 'Cold Lake' ... but it was 25 degrees out so soon enough the ice should be gone!



As for me, my recovery is going really well .. I am feeling pretty good and have little to no pain most days. I am completely off my medication so any pain I do have I feel! I am still a little slow and I can't walk for too long, but its getting easier every day. I have to say that if it wasn't for Peter I don't think things would be going as well as they are! He is the best partner anyone could ask for and his attitude towards everything reminds me again why we call ourselves 'Team PM'.

Team PM & Ainsley

She's here!

Ainsley Lily-Isabel was born Friday May 2nd, 2008 and was 6 lbs., 1 oz., 19.5" long.

Some of you have already heard/read this story, but for those who haven't you may be wondering what happened and why I needed an emergency c-section ...

I started having contractions at home around midnight on May 2nd ... I timed them and they were about 6 minutes apart. After an hour, I woke up Peter and he started timing them and we quickly realized that they were now under 5 minutes apart. I called the hospital and we were told to come in; once there they hooked me up to the fetal monitor and determined that I was in labour - my water had partially broken by this point so we were staying! After several hours I decided to have an epidural .... we had one doctor come in and he tried twice to get the epidural in with no luck. At that point we figured it was a done deal and that an epi wouldn't be possible ... then the magic doctor came in!! He was wonderful and had the epi in in no time and I didn't feel any of the insertion pain that I had felt with the first two attempts. It was a relief ... and a miracle, but we didn't know that yet. Within about 20 minutes of having the epi the baby's heartrate dropped dramatically during a contraction ... the nurse had to quickly start massaging her head to try and stimulate her. This worked and it seemed we were on the right track again ... then, about 2 hours later it happened again, except this time it was harder to get it back to a normal rate and it was consistently dropping. At this point the nurse called in my doctor, who then called in the on-call obstetrician, and the chief of the medical staff! We had everyone in there trying to stimulate baby by massaging her head, and they were all checking the fetal monitoring and trying to decide what to do. It didn't take long before they said I would need a c-section. Before I knew it I was being wheeled into the Operating Room and being taken away from Peter ... that was a hard moment for us both but we knew I was in good hands. Poor Peter had to wait out in the hall for about 15 minutes while they prepped me for surgery. I was nervous, but because I'd had the epi already the surgery was started really fast as they didn't have take more time to give me anything. I was awake for the entire surgery, which was weird but not at all painful. Soon, Peter was by my side and the baby was out - they discovered that the cord was wrapped around her neck 3 times! We were so thankful that the doctors had made the decision they made and that Ainsley was delivered before things got worse. The other amazing thing was that our friends from church (husband and wife who are both doctors) were called in to assist in the surgery. They didn't intially know that it was me who was having the c-section so they were really happy to be a part of it. One of them helped deliver her, and the other 'caught' her and helped to get her cleaned up etc. afterward. After Ainsley was delivered I only remember hearing the word 'blue' .. I kept asking Peter if she was okay and soon enough she was crying and Peter was able to go over and help trim the umbilical cord. He said he could see her changing from blue to pink! After waiting for what seemed like forever, Peter brought her over to see me and I was able to touch her and see that she was doing well.



So, that was the drama of last Friday! My recovery since then has been going really well and my pain is subsiding a little bit each day. I've been up and about quite a bit and thanks to the help of my amazing husband I haven't really had to worry about anything. He's done it all: cooking, tidying, diapers and more! Incidentally, he is taking 4 months of paternity leave so he has plenty of time to wait on me hand and foot ... and he hasn't complained once : )
As for Ainsley, she is doing really well and is quite the little eater! She loves to be snuggled and Peter sometimes has to gently remind me to put her down ... its hard : ) Yesterday the public health nurse visited and we were happy to learn that Ainsley has gained about an ounce a day since being discharged from the hospital, so we know she is eating and growing despite her tiny size. She now weighs in at about 5lbs., 9.5 ozs so she is steadily climbling back to her birthweight.

Oh, and her 'brother' Fletch has been doing very well with the adjustment too ... though, he usually gets up and leaves the room when she's crying in the middle of the night : )

We'll keep the pictures coming!
Team PM & Ainsley