Shan's Blog

Happy 40th Birthday Geoff

2012-01-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

Although a couple of days belated (on blogger that is), I want to wish my dear Geoff a very happy 40th birthday. I know that he has mixed emotions about turning 40. I'm sure that most people do. I know that when the day comes for me to enter into my 40's that I'll have some hesitations combined with anticipation for a new decade!

One thing that Geoff has said, especially since he's turning 40, is that he wishes he had started having kids earlier. I think he's a bit nervous about being 40 when he has his first child. However, I told him that he is far from alone in this journey and that, in reality, he wouldn't have been ready even 5 or 6 years ago for having kids. There is no set age for starting a family (especially as a guy for biological reasons). It has to be when you are ready. Ready to make decisions for yourself as well for another little person who needs guidance and support.

So I told Geoff that turning 40 should be a time for celebration as this is the start of a new chapter for him with many many more years of things to look forward to...including the raising of our child.

Our New House....delayed....again

2012-01-23T17:13:00.000-08:00

Our new house has been delayed yet once again. When we purchased the house (from plans) back in November 2010, we were given the closing date of January 16th 2012. We were anticipating some delays as that is typically the norm with new builds.

Georgetown is notorious for taking a long time to finish new builds, usually because of different permits taking so long to go through. After an inital delay of a few months, our closing date was changed to May 16th 2012. Part of us was happy to be moving in when the weather was a little nicer (vs. snow) but we were also overwhelmed by the possibility of having to move into our new place a month before our little munchkin comes into the picture. That is a lot to manage on top of an impending birth!!

So now, after a few months of driving by a dirt pit, we have realized that our dream (and possible nightmare) of trying to settle into our new place in the spring will not be a reality. It has been confirmed that we'll be moving into our new place in September 2012. It's a blessing while a frustration all at the same time. Soon enough our new little family can take shape in our new home.

Fingers crossed this is the last delay!!

Only 2 1/2 Months to Go.....

2012-01-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

Winter is here and it has been here for some time, but lately it's been harder to believe that we are, in fact, in the middle of January.

Yesterday, while waiting to get Mira from the school bus, our neighbour was out with his umbrella. It spent most of yesterday raining. The snow has been almost non-existent except for a day right after Christmas when we got a dumping of the white stuff (even THAT was too late for the holidays). All this rain and little snow, combined with the excessive darkness really makes it tough.

Poor Mira gets so upset when we tell her that it's not time to wear shorts yet. She, in all her 5 year old understanding of the seasonal changes that come with living in Ontario, has realized that winter is likely not her favourite season. She is counting down the days to sandals and sundresses. She has already told me that she wants to move somewhere warm. Ha ha, we wish.

I have this "thing" with winter. If it's going to be winter and that's the reality of living where I live, then at LEAST give me some beautiful snow to look at. Yes, driving in snow is not fun, but looking at grey and brown while dealing with frigid temperatures is just too much.

So here begins the countdown to spring!

17 weeks

2012-01-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

Twenty-three weeks to go.....

The last two weeks have flown by. I'm not sure if it's the busyness at work or the constant running after a 5 year old that seems to making this pregnancy speed by somewhat faster than the last one. Either way, I love being busy and so I'm not complaining. The countdown continues to June.

On the new house front, we have been delayed by another couple of months with regards to our closing. I'm not thrilled about that, but as long as they aren't setting the closing for the month of June, then I'm actually quite happy. Perhaps the end of summer would be a better time to move?

I had my 16 week appointment last week and all seems to be going quite well. The heart rate was at 145bpm, which is right around where Mira's heart rate was when I was pregnant with her. There are so many myths surrounding the heart rate. Slower heart rate means boy...etc,. According to this theory, however, Mira would have been a boy. So I'm not relying on this as a way of finding out if we'll be expecting a son or a daughter. Instead, I have booked my ultrasound for the 27th of January and we'll hopefully find out then if we should be picking out a girls name or a boys name :) Let's keep our fingers crossed that baby co-operates.

15 Weeks

2012-01-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

I am at the 15 week mark with little bean. So far, the baby bump has been small. Although they say that women in their second pregnancies show earlier than those in their first, so far, this hasn't totally proven true. My bump is still big enough to warrant a new maternity wardrobe (thank you for all my friends who donated to my wardrobe with their maternity pants and shirts!) yet, too small for strangers to recognize my motherly condition. I am grateful for being small, however, I still have 25 weeks of growing and at some point I'll feel large and uncomfortable. So, the longer I stay smaller, the better I'll feel for longer.

I felt the first punch (possibly kick) from baby Seymour was felt the other day while we were in Ikea. Perhaps baby likes shopping? Or perhaps baby doesn't like Ikea?

Either way, the baby is healthy. He/she is enjoying her womb home for now. I can't wait for the day when we get to meet our little bundle of kicks of punches. Our family will grow in such an awesome way. The 15 weeks of pregnancy that we've experienced so far has brought some challenges, but we dealt with them beautifully. It is a sign of wonderful things to come!!

The After Christmas

2011-12-28T17:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone for another year. I'm always shocked by how much preparation goes into Christmas, only to have it come and go in a flash. I can't believe that we are already almost 4 days past Christmas. Next on the agenda: New Years!!

This year, Christmas Eve was spent with Geoff's parents, sipping wine (well, everyone but Mira and I), eating appetizers and chit chatting, catching up on the latest. Mira loves going over to Geoff's parents house (Granna and Grampa as she calls them) as his mom has a large selection of teddy bears and toy snowmen to play with. A kids heaven really.

Christmas Day, we packed up the van and went to Ancaster to visit with my Dad, Pam and my three brothers Matt, Brandon and Drew. We had brunch together since I had to have Mira back to her Dad for about 2pm. It was a quick visit, but always a good one. Christmas night, Geoff and I had big plans to go to a movie since we didn't have Mira. A good opportunity for a "date night". However, we were feeling totally run off our feet from all the Christmas chaos and so we opted for pajamas, chicken soup and television. It was actually really nice. Just the two of us, enjoying some alone time together :)

Boxing Day, Geoff and I decided to host the annual Boxing Day party at our place for all of our friends and family. All of the usual suspects made an appearance as well as some new faces from the Lynden Circle crowd (our neighbours are always up for a good party) and Geoff's parents drove up to partake which was a great surprise.

Overall, the holidays were a success. We are worn out and ready for a vacation, but we couldn't have been happier with the time we spent with our friends and family. We got great gifts for one another and Mira's face lit up continuously throughout the holidays with such a glow that it made me want to tear up with happiness. My daughter has come to appreciate the holiday season. She is now patient when it comes to opening presents, waiting for others to take their turn at opening. She is grateful for the presents she gets. These are all signs that my little one is growing up and maturing. She actually said to me the other day at my parents house "It's okay Mama if I don't get any presents. I'm still going to be happy." Made my heart sing to hear that. Of course, she did get presents, but she was grateful. Not something you see very often in a 5 year old.

This was our last Christmas as a family of three. Next year there will a 6 month old yanking at the tree and ripping the wrapping paper. I love it. It's all about family after all.

Hello, again.

2011-12-22T16:37:00.000-08:00

After a three month hiatus from my blog, I am here again. I have a whole new blog with a new look.

I have so much to share since I last blogged. In fact, it now seems quite appropriate to have a fresh start.
So many wonderful things have happened in the past 12 weeks. Where do I even begin?


Laying on his/her back

I guess a good place to start would be with the announcement that we are pregnant. Geoff and I are going to be welcoming an adorable little boy or girl in the month of June. Baby Seymour is currently 13 1/2 weeks old growing bigger by the day. Thus far, baby bean has been growing like a weed, often measuring big for his/her age. This is a great sign!

Mira is super excited about becoming a big sister. She has told me that she wants three little brothers. Thankfully there is only one baby in that womb as having three little ones would be insane! I would always be grateful for whatever I was given, but having one at a time seems a little more manageable.

So far, the pregnancy has been pretty good to me. Some nausea (more than with Mira for sure) and fatigue. It unfortunately hit it's peak while I was in Punta Cana. As tired as I was, it seems that lying on a beach chair in the sun is conducive to managing morning/afternoon/evening sickness and so this was easy to achieve while at an all-inclusive resort.

Folks, this bean is a mover! He/she doesn't stop jumping up and down every time the technician moves in for a look with her magic wand. It's like baby knows that he/she is on display for the world to see. What a show! The technician was able to catch the baby mid-jump in the picture on the left.

I don't know how to top a more than welcome pregnancy when it comes to news. We managed to get away to Punta Cana. It was the first all-inclusive trip for Mira and I. We'd never been to an all-inclusive resort and to be honest, I wasn't sure how I'd like it. I have a hard time sitting still. I can get bored sitting in a chair for any period of time. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I could lay there and do nothing for extended periods of time. Found it quite easy actually. Whether it was baby bean forcing me to relax and take advantage or whether it was my "inner Shannon" coming to appreciate the laid back, I-don't-need-to-cook-or-clean concept.

A big purchase for us this fall was a minivan. Yup, we gave up the truck for the convenience and practicality (certainly not the coolness) of a minivan. We opted for a Dodge Grand Caravan for a number of reasons. It was the right price and it had the right options that we were looking for. It's certainly not a flashy vehicle and not nearly as cool as my F-150 (*sniff*) but we admitted that a minivan is what would best suit our needs with two kids and a dog. Geoff has finally gotten used to the "loser cruiser" and has even admitted to liking it.

I am enjoying being back on this blog already and I've only written a page. Blog, how I have missed you. I hope that you forgive me for my long abscence.