Update

Not much to actually update, but its been awhile since I've posted anything. We've had a busy few weeks ... always something going on it seems. Last weekend we bought new living room furniture - that was very exciting! We are picking up the sofa and loveseat today, the chair and ottoman are being delivered at a later date because they weren't in stock. So, finally we will be able to entertain a little more ... though with a new baby coming soon entertaining may have to take a back seat.

Our other shopping adventure last weekend was to the very famous (around here anyway) Baby Sale at the Military Family Resource Center on base. Everyone told us that it was a great place to get good deals on baby stuff, so we were definitely going to check it out. The doors opened at 10 am so we figured that if we arrived at a few minutes to ten we should get in when the selection was at its prime. Well, that plan would have worked if there wasn't already a lineup of about 250-300 people when we got there! We were literally in shock. However, giant lineup aside we still managed to get in and get some really great deals. Peter got in line almost immediately to pay for a Jolly Jumper on a stand because you had to pay for big stuff first before moving on to the clothing and toy section. Meanwhile, I made my way into a room that was about the size of a small gymnasium. It was lined with tables upon tables piled with clothes! I ended up buying a TON of baby clothes, mostly for next fall/winter - everything was really good quality and in great shape. Peter went ahead of me to the toy section and picked out a bunch of books, puzzles and some other toys as well. We ended up spending about $100 for all of it ... so it was a good shopping day. Did I mention that the new furniture we bought was 50% off?! Yeah, good weekend for deals ...

I am now 39 weeks and 3 days pregnant ... could happen anytime! The doctor was pleased with my progress and told me that I was moving around really well for someone this advanced in my pregnancy, so that was a nice compliment. He also said that I was all belly, which will hopefully make postpartum recovery easier on me. So now its just a waiting game before our little girl makes her entrance - I am hoping for sooner rather than later, but trying not to get too impatient just yet : )

Team PM & tadpole

Cowboys & Indians

Last Saturday night Peter & I were invited to join our friends, the Colbournes, for a rodeo! How could we pass up that opportunity?? I have to say that we were both a lot more impressed than we thought we'd be ... there were over 1000 people there and the bullriding was so cool to see in real life. I never imagined that I would react with screams and shrieks as I watched these men get bucked off and stomped on, kicked or even 'horned'! It was our first real dose of small town western culture ... complete with Cowboys & Indians (or to be politically correct, Cowboys & Natives ... )

Peter & Caleb ... Caleb wasn't too sure what to think of all the commotion.




Cowboy who got hurt ... someone had to explain to him what happened because he couldn't remember - we think he ended up with a concussion. Oh, and previous to this injury he had been slammed into the side of the boards as the bull horned him in the torso ... why do people do this again ???


As for me .. I will be 38 weeks on Sunday. The doctor is happy with how everything is going and thinks I will have a small baby - yay! I'm still feeling pretty good, but I'm starting to find it hard to sleep and get comfortable. I've also been having Braxton Hicks contractions (also called practice contractions) that are painless, but extremely uncomfortable. It is exciting to know that my body is getting ready and anticipating the birth. The baby's movements are very strong now since she is getting so big. It is often uncomfortable as she shifts around and I normally have to shift around myself to get comfortable while she does whatever it is she is doing! Her favorite time of day to get going is about 9 or 10pm now - its like clockwork! Its great too since that is the time I am usually getting settled into bed ; ) As always, we're super excited to meet her and to get on with the next phase of this whole process. Our other pregnant friends just had their baby boy on Tuesday ... so I am next in line now!




Team PM & tadpole

Pregnancy Update

So ... 36 weeks and counting - we have less than 4 weeks left until our due date! I can't believe we are getting so close, but we are both feeling very ready and excited to meet the baby. I had a doctors appt. yesterday and found again, that everything is normal. The doctor said that the baby is in position and her head is halfway down into my pelvis - very exciting and a tad scary! Recently I've been having some weird shocks of pain down there, and now we know why! To date, I've gained 21 lbs., which is good as I probably won't gain too much more - this should make my postpartum recovery a little easier. And, my waist has increased by almost 13"!

Our new friends (the ones we had over for Easter) had their little girl last Sunday -she was a week and a half early. I was able to visit the new addition the day before she went home from the hospital - she was so tiny and sweet and holding her made me so anxious to meet my little girl! I can't wait : )

Last night, Peter was talking to my belly and saying her name (only we know what it is!) .. as soon as she hears his voice she stops moving and listens. It was pretty cool - when he stopped talking she would start up her antics again!

No new pictures to add, but I suspect we will have some after the weekend since its supposed to reach 17 degrees on Sunday!

Team PM & tadpole

Our 24 hours in Calgary

Ok, so it was a little more than 24 hours, but not much! We found out last Wednesday that Andrew (Peter's brother) would be in Calgary for a few days ... so we decided to drive down on the weekend to see him. We left Saturday morning, stopped in Edmonton to do some shopping and pick up some baby gifts that were waiting for us at Toys R Us and then continued to Calgary. Saturday night was dinner and a movie - and then on Sunday we went to the Calgary Zoo! It was fun, even though many of the animals were doing absolutely nothing but sleeping. I think the highlight for me was the baby elephant - very cute! Peter really liked watching one of the monkeys taunt and play with a young gorilla. As for Andrew ... well, I think his favorite part was all the slow walking thanks to me ; )




Trying to touch some stingrays ...


They tried to get me to do the exact same pose, but I refused .. there were already enough people watching!


It took us about 5 hours to get through the zoo and by the time we were done I was DONE! My feet were killing me, my back was aching, my right knee was sore .. the pregnancy sure caught up with me. I was impressed though that these ailments only started to bother me in the last hour or so - by the end I felt a little like this bear ...


It was also neat to see Calgary - its very weird to see cities out here that literally appear out of nowhere. There is farmland, farmland, farmland - houses! The suburbs seem to start in the middle of nowhere, we've noticed the same thing in Edmonton. And, we could see downtown Calgary from miles and miles away because its so flat. It was also my first time seeing the Rockies, which kind of nestle around the edge of the city. It was a very long 5.5 hour drive back to Cold Lake, but well worth it to spend some time with Andrew, who we hardly ever see. Calgary, of course has been having beautiful warm sunny weather ... but naturally the time we chose to go it was snowy and a tad chilly (but not too bad, only about -2).

Team PM & tadpole

Easter 2008

Happy Easter everyone - we hope you all had a nice long weekend :) Friday we went to the Good Friday service at church, then had dinner at our friends, Corey & Julia's place ... we had already invited other friends, Kris & Sarah for Easter dinner but found out on Friday night that Corey had to go back out of town (after having been gone for 3 weeks!) So, we added Julia and her 3 kiddies to our list of guests for Easter dinner on Sunday. Sunday morning we went to church and found out that Corey had finished up what he had to do and was already back in town! Long story short ... they had to drive down to Edmonton to pick up Corey's truck at the airport and couldn't make it to dinner. So, at 4:00 Kris & Sarah came over and we feasted ... baked ham, roasted chicken, asparagus, carrots, cheddar biscuits, scalloped potatoes - and strawberry trifle for dessert. It was a lot of food, but so good :P After dinner we relaxed to let our food digest! We didn't take alot of pics ... but here are a few.

Fletch hanging around the kitchen while we cooked ... waiting for yummy handouts.


And, of course the token shot of me and my belly! 34 weeks as of yesterday ... getting there!


Kris & Sarah brought us an Easter basket of goodies ...



Today we are relaxing at home and doing a little more work on the nursery ... gotta get that done!

Team PM & tadpole

Seriously spoiled baby!

My sister in law, Sharon (& Rick too) sent us a 'Baby Shower in a box'! I had to wait until we could get them on webcam before I opened it ... but wow! They are already spoiling their niece and she's not even here yet - but, don't get me wrong, we definitely appreciate it. So ... here's what we got:









And, this last picture is of things chosen specially by Uncle Rick ; )


It was fun having all these gifts to open at once ... thanks guys : )

Team PM & a big thanks from tadpole!

Teeniest Tiniest bathing suit

Yesterday I bought baby her first swimsuit - I felt I had to share it with everyone because its just so cute : ) Can't wait to see her in it.


Her wardrobe is expanding quickly, especially when Mommy goes shopping! I think she has almost as many clothes as her Dad ; )




Team PM & tadpole

Peter's a big boy now

Its finally happened .... after 5 years of marriage and a lot of nagging and lecturing - I finally got Peter to eat a salad!! I know, its truly an amazing feat ... so amazing that I took some pictures just so you would all believe me. He's finally come to the conclusion that he needs to eat veggies if he wants our kids to - so he took the plunge. Now, the first salad attempt wasn't too good, but that was just because he didn't like the dressing. Today at lunch we had Greek salad - and that one he liked, he actually liked it! I'm so proud : )




Also .. on a sidenote - we've been having amazing weather here in Cold Lake - the spring thaw has begun. Today we went out for a walk on the lake (it is still very frozen) to enjoy the sun and freedom from winter jackets! We forgot to bring a ball for Fletch, so instead Peter made snowballs - which is what he is doing in the picture. I think Fletch enjoyed these more than a regular ball because he got to eat them : )




By the way, the baby ticker here on the blog is off by about 2-3 days, so I am actually 32 weeks pregnant today. We've got about 8 weeks to go ... hard to believe - but we're (almost) ready for the challenge!

Team PM & tadpole

31 weeks, a new haircut and a double chin!

Just some new pics that we've taken over the last week or so ... Peter had some fun taking one from the floor making me look enormous! He thought it was pretty funny though ... thanks alot Peter!




Also, yesterday we took a trip to Edmonton to clear our UK shipment through customs. It is finally here and is being delivered tomorrow! We are really looking forward to having our bed again - we've been sleeping on a very small double bed ... not good. While we were there, we bought our baby stroller/infant car seat. I am particularly excited about this because when I was a kid my doll stroller was just the most fabulous toy ever! I used to take it with me for walks, push it around the house and even to the grocery store with my parents : ) Its fun, and kinda weird, to have a real one ... soon we'll have a baby to put in it - now, we just have to practice using those darn buckles!




Team PM & tadpole

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

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

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!)