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A May to Remember

6/14/2018

Where to begin to fill you in on the last month?! It’s been a blur of events. A blissful, happy blur.

It hasn’t quite felt real.

I found myself thinking about that quote from high school English class: “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” It just seems like life is different now but not much has really changed.

Our new reality is starting to settle in though and I’m really wanting to document these memories... before the little moments are lost to my mom-brain fog ;)

I also have an ongoing list of blog ideas that I’d really love to make time to write. Truth is I actually have a lot of “down” time, thanks to nursing, that I could turn in to blogging time, thanks to smartphones. But sleep deprivation makes it hard to get in to a writing groove sometimes...

As for now, here’s a look back at the month of May aka best month ever ;)

Matthew’s Mom arrived at the start of the month. He was working his last set of work away before baby’s arrival. It was such a relief to have her there! As soon as he left for work I started having cramps. Since both girls came a little early I was definitely anxious and nervous the aches and pains could be early labour. Matthew ended up taking some “family days” shortly after which got him home a couple days earlier than expected. It relieved us both of worry to know we wouldn’t have to scramble if he was away (again) if I went in to labour.

However, a whole week and a half was to follow making due day a real waiting game. It seemed like everyone expected me to go early. I had to remind myself that pregnancy doesn’t have an expiry date, it’s simply an estimated arrival ;) ...and this date had been the most questionable for us this time around since I didn’t have an early ultrasound. It also made us probably the most prepared this time around for labour. Which I am certainly grateful for!

We spent those days leading up to baby time celebrating all sorts of other special moments!

The following weekend, Matthew’s dad arrived. (And so did the warm, spring weather - finally!) We booked a Mother’s Day brunch reservation for all of us. It was really nice to have Matthew home and spend the holiday with my MIL in town. Little did I know, we would have more to celebrate that day!

We had been at the mall the day before. I had seen a cute necklace at a pop-up shop that I mentioned to his mom. Matthew had run out later that day so I thought she might have said something to him to swing back and get it as a gift... (Matthew has actually never bought me jewelry so I’m not sure why I thought this... ) but, as he and the girls presented me with a small gift bag that’s what crossed my mind. As I pulled out a much fancier People’s Jewellers box I knew it wasn’t the necklace. Of course the other thing crossing my mind almost seemed too good to be true! I was thrown off, and so was he, because his idea didn’t really go as planned... yet it seemed true to our not-always-to-plan style, so it was great ;)

Halle had been ‘in’ on the gift. She was so excited for me to open it! What kid isn’t excited about presents?! She was supposed to help ask the question. Me being me, asked the girls if they wanted to help me open it. Autumn being Autumn, kind of took over and pulled it out of the bag, not knowing what was in that little box. This left Matthew standing watching the chaos of the moment and lead to me opening the box. “Are you serious?” I asked... I knew it but couldn’t believe it. And Halle promptly shouted it’s “a wedding ring!” And Matthew asked me to marry him! We hugged and kissed and it was a happy, messy blur of a moment with two giddy girls telling us we’re going to get married!

All of which clued Nanny (Matthew’s Mom) in on what was happening. She had casually started unloading the dishwasher ha because I had suggested to the girls we sit at the table to open the gift... oops! And Poppy was sitting on the couch... hence yet another reason why my gift took me by surprise! And them too, obviously! I guess Matthew just wanted to surprise us all ;)

Anyway, it was a great moment that completely took my mind off the baby waiting game and labour nerves! It also gave us some wonderful news to share with family who would be calling on FaceTime for Mother’s Day wishes. It really made the day extra special!

The ring had to be resized to fit my finger so I was sad not to wear it out that day. We had enjoyed a lovely brunch and it was this sort of unreal sense of happiness and content.

The celebrations continued as we celebrated Matthew’s mom’s birthday that Thursday. It was her 60th and I wish we could have thrown a bigger party. But with baby yet to arrive and all of her family back home it just wasn’t realistic. She certainly wasn’t complaining to spend the day with her grandkids though! We celebrated with take out Chinese food for supper and birthday cake.

Of course we wondered if baby would share her special day but it turns out he wanted a day of his own! Later that night I awoke with more frequent and intense contractions. I got in the shower around 3:30am in case this was ‘go’ time. An hour later we checked in to the hospital. Then, at 12:54pm on May 18, Jordan John was born! We were overjoyed to meet our baby BOY!

I’ll be sharing his birth story (+ photos) in detail soon. I’m thankful to have documented both girls (here & here) so I can reflect on the details as the years go by. I will say, my labour and delivery was another positive experience and the gender surprise made it all the better!

We spent the rest of the month soaking up family time. Matthew’s parents helped us with some backyard projects, served us home cooked meals and spoiled our girls with lots of fun! We had Autumn’s ballet recital and enjoyed some outings as a family of 5 to the lake and the zoo.

As slow as the month seemed to start, reflecting back, it flew by! I’m grateful for all we celebrated and will share more stories very soon.

Thanks for reading XO

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Bump Update: Full Term with #3!

5/9/2018

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I'm still pinching myself that I'm about to have another baby. I mean I feel super pregnant, and beyond ready to have baby earth side, but it still seems surreal that we are going to have another little one!

This pregnancy has been extra special. Don't get me wrong, the first two were just as great, but there's something about this time that has me feeling extra gratitude for this beautiful experience a third time around.

I think it's because going in to this pregnancy, I knew myself better. Both as a mom and as a women -- as myself. The constant learning and growing as we go through life gave me time to desire this experience. To not just think 'I'll have a baby someday' but to truly long for another baby in our lives.

I had my ups and downs about this but in the end our story seems to have gone perfectly as to bless us with another child. And that's why I'm so grateful.

I'm super excited for how this time will be different... with more experience, bigger kids, and new appreciation.

As for now, I'm trying my best to be patient and let nature take it's course. Keeping that gratitude in mind and praying for an easy and joyful labour and delivery.

Treated myself to a mani + mcflurry this week! Is your guess PINK or BLUE for baby? ;)

I only wrote one other pregnancy post this time and haven't shared any fun pregnancy ramblings. So, since we're 10 days away from estimated arrival why not do a little bump Q&A?!

Changes?
Weight gain? About 30 lb!
Stretch marks? None... but as mentioned in my last post, I learned of varicose veins and their commonality in pregnancy this time around... according to my doctor, they typically disappear once the pressure of baby's head is gone.

Signs of labour?
- Cramps as of last week but nothing too intense or regular. I didn't have many early contractions for the girls so when I started feeling these last week, the day Matthew left for work, I got super anxious thinking it was the real deal!
- About 2-3 cm dilated at my 38 week check up and lots of low pressure from baby's head.

Craving?
- Breakfast foods! Oats, cereal, granola. Anything nut butter/banana.
- Sweet tooth goes and comes but it's more for chocolate or fruit.

Feeling?
Much more relaxed the past couple days! My MIL arrived on Saturday and Matthew decided to fly home early and landed Monday evening. It's a relief to have both of them here, mentally and physically. I've been taking it much easier than usual lately. Thankful for time to lie down when I need it and extra hands to help with the girls and things around the house.

I'm also so excited about baby's gender being a surprise! It's been such a cool experience not knowing who is growing in there. I think it's going to be an amazing part of delivery!

Sleeping?
Tough call. The past couple months have not been the best in the sleep department. I was logging good rest hours but was dealing with sore hips and leg cramps. Constantly turning side to side with pillows for support because I found it much harder to rest on my left side for the whole night this time. Since going to a prenatal chiropractor a few weeks ago, my pain has really improved. Now my problem seems to be more insomnia, cramps or baby moving too much to sleep. I don't know if its adrenalin kicking in or my body preparing for the lack of sleep that's about to hit... but it's so strange to be tired and not able to sleep. Like I said though, I've been napping or atleast lying down every day for the past week so that helps too!

"Preggo Problems"
- Picking up anything that falls on the floor... and attempting to play Frisbee with Halle ha!
- Lacking shirts to cover the bump
- Brain fog (trying to think of problems because there's definitely more laughable things...)

That's pretty much it! Here's hoping the next update will be baby's arrival and birth story (I love reading and writing these!)

Happy hump day!

Thanks, as always, for following along XO

bump, bath + bedtime snack :)

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Life Lately: A New Chapter

3/24/2018

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It seems like the pages have turned to a new chapter over the past week or so!

I finished up work, celebrated my birthday and the season changed to spring.

I'm so glad I went with my gut and followed that voice telling me to end work mid month and (two months before baby at that.) For those of you that don't know, I run a dayhome (a daycare in my home.) That in itself has been such a blessing and valuable chapter in my life. It marks my return to work after kids and starting what I thought was my dream job. It brought great moments and unexpected challenges, most of which came about during pregnancy. One day, I'll write about it in detail, but for now I'll say I knew it was time for that chapter to close, despite it being much shorter than I ever imagined...

With my birthday days away, it felt like the perfect time for a new beginning. We kicked things off with a weekend getaway! Which was actually a boys trip for Matthew's hockey tournament but we tagged along in celebration of my fresh start. It was our first time in Invermere, BC and it was beautiful! We would love to go back in the summer and experience camping season there on the lake between the mountains!

It was a cute little town and welcomed us warmly for the tournament. The boys had a blast on their team Could Be Worse and considering they came from all over, and hadn't played together, they made out not too shabby with a third place finish! A sun shining Saturday and St. Patrick's Day green beers made it all the better for them ;)

Meanwhile the girls and I soaked up our "adventure" watching games, exploring parks + views and treating ourselves to yummy eats ;) There was a little bakery right around the corner from the rink which made the perfect pit stop for some birthday doughnuts.

Although most of the weekend was busy with hockey (and hangovers,) Matthew was more than ready for a soak in the hot springs on Sunday when the games had wrapped. Just north of the town was Radium Hot Springs. The girls loved swimming in the snowfall in the naturally heated outdoor pool! It was a lovely way to end our trip.

My birthday was spent driving back to the city and relaxing. Matthew cooked me a delicious BBQ supper and surprised us with cheesecake for dessert. I returned to some lovely happy mail waiting to be opened, too. Everything seemed like a perfectly aligned gift to new beginnings - from inspiring reads to baby clothes! It left my heart feeling grateful.

The next day Spring began. It might not look like it in Calgary but it felt like a much needed "shift." I really felt like this marked the blossoming of a fresh start for me. While in Invermere, there was a powerful New Moon. If you've been reading the blog or following my Insta posts, you may have seen that I've embraced sharing my interest in the moon and astrology. I've made journaling new moon intentions a regular thing. So while I was away, even though I didn't pack my journal, I took time to write down my visions for the next six months or so. I couldn't help seeing the choice to end work when I did and it's link to the timing of the moon (and my birthday and the season.) It was like it affirmed the new path I was on.

Cluing up another year and closing my dayhome seemed like a proper ending to let go of the past and embrace the new. There's so much I have been dreaming of and planning to share and now I can move forward with that! My next Vlog is coming soon ;)

In the meantime, I'm in full on spring declutter and organize craze doubled with nesting mode. I'm ready to get things together and ready so I can enjoy the rest of the time relaxing and soaking up moments with my girls. I'm hoping Spring will have truly arrived by then and we can spend more time outdoors... I'm already loving the longer daylight, boy does it make a difference for me!

I feel 'lighter' being done work and looking forward to what's to come but I've also been hit with that third trimester exhaustion lately... It's hard when I want to "do all the things" but find myself needing to slow down. After our weekend away and many indulgences, I'm trying to get back on track with cleaner eating so that I can feel better. I also had to go for a second glucose test to screen for gestational diabetes. My sugars were slightly elevated the first time so I went back for the fasting test that takes a few hours. Here's hoping it was just to do with what I ate the first time around.

Other than that, I've been feeling good. I really enjoy being pregnant (overall)! This pregnancy has been different though. It's been hard to tell if it's due to circumstances or third baby problems. For example, I have yet to experience stretch marks * knock knock * but this time around (prepare for potential TMI - I shrug it off ha) I have varicose veins..... annnnd higher up than my legs. Meh. It's from all the pressure and blood flow to baby. And apparently it's quite common, but new to me. I'm really hoping it goes away, in time, postpartum. I think this circulation issue is also bringing on crazy leg cramps in my sleep! Again, another thing that I didn't experience with the girls but is hitting me this time. Sleep is definitely getting more challenging these days, too, with the large belly. I'm prioritizing going to bed early. Plus it helps not having to wake for work, although I do still love my morning me time ;)

As for other things baby, we are struggling with boy names! We are not on the same page at all... or can't find one that sticks. There's still time, but that nesting feeling makes me want to decide right now. We're good for girls names and in general these seem way easier to pick. Names aside, I'm super excited about the anticipation of who this little babe is growing in my belly!

Hmmm in other news around here, (since the words are flowing as I type, despite this post turning in to a novel...) our big girl, Halle, has lost her first TWO teeth! We had a dentist appointment a few weeks ago and discovered she had four wiggly ones. Of course, that week, she lost her first bottom one. Then, not even a week later, the other one followed. It's kind of a bitter sweet parenting moment... She'll be five next month... Losing teeth seems like such a step from being a young child to a big kid... I really love seeing her personality grow though! And I'm so excited for her and Autumn to both be big sisters soon!

I suppose, a whole new chapter for them... for all of us, is about to unfold...

:)

...Keep checking back to read all about it!
XO

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A May to Remember

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