End of the week, huzzah!

So today marks the end of a really good week. Lots going on and so much more this weekend. Ariel as you can tell is exhaused, and is catching some zzz's till daddy gets home.

This morning we were expecting the study lady to come with the part 2 of the kit. While she was here, the postman rang and said we had a parcel. When I went down there was a customs charge and for some lame reason he could only take cash on this one. I didn't have much in my wallet after giving some cash to Ken the other day so I had to take a tag and now had to add a visit to the post office to my list of chores. Anyhoo, I finish up with the lady and she hands me half of the money they are paying me for doing the study, and get this, IN CASH. I had enough for the stupid charge. Argh. Oh well, can't do anything about it now.

Then Ariel and I drove to Nana's to assemble her play yard (ie: baby cage)for when the princess visits. Got some yummy lunch and then were on our way again. Ariel had slept at Nana's so she wanted to stay up during my rest so she laid on her blanket beside me on the couch while I did some sitching on her christmas stocking. Here is a preview of my work thus far and what it looks like finished in the magazine. Of course her's will say Ariel instead of Christina. Hehe.

After my rest, I decided to walk to the post office so I straped Ariel into the snuggly and off we went. It sure smells like fall. That crisp, cool smell, and the piles of colored leaves make it real. Hard to believe summer is over, especially when we still get those warm days. We got the parcel and headed home. It was the uber cheap clothes I ordered from Gymboree, they were having a $10 sale. I got some really cute stuff, in some different colors besides pink. Some of the shirts have this great stitching on it of forest animals, TOO CUTE!

I just heard that the one and only LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM is coming to Vancouver and performing at the Center on Novemeber 18th. I might need to find a babysitter, because he is soooooooo awesome. Sure it be better to see him with Fleetwood Mac, but who am I kidding, thats almost impossible. I bet Dad would wanna see him too. The guy is amazing on the guitar.

Ken is almost home so I should go. Expect updates this weekend after all the fun stuff including Mr. Champions B-day dinner and the baby shower! YAY!

New Friend

This morning Stella, Ariel and I went to visit Erin, Jeremy and their new son Carter who was born on September 7th. He is a cute little guy, and boy is it weird to see how big Ariel is next to him. LOL. I thought she was small, but I guess she has been growing big time. We had a nice visit, gave them some gifts and had a walk with the kids in their buggies. Both of them were good until it was time to go. Ariel was not happy being strapped into her car seat, since she wanted her wet diaper changed. So we stopped at Stella's on the way home for a change and a quick feed. We then took the sceneic way home since Ariel was enjoying the tunes on the radio, and was cooing away.

This afternoon, she has been sleeping pretty much since we got home. I can't get over how warm it is today. Ariel is back in her diaper shirt and blanket only for nap time today. I managed to get a lot of cross stitching done on her stocking. I think if I continue at this pace I could get it done faster than I thought. Whee.

In other news, I finished the first half of that study for UBC that Ariel and I are taking part in. We are having a visit tomorrow to get the second half. Also we got a call yesterday saying our reunion of our prenatal class is next week! Very cool! Can't wait to see everyone again.

I think Ariel is waking up from her nap so I better go.

Picture Pages

Pretty, pretty princess. We are trying to get pictures in all clothing given as gifts, so lots of pictures everyday. She has been in this outfit before but check out the cute booties that Ariel got from Aunty Trudy. Those were given back when we first learned we were pregnant, so yay!

Ariel continues to improve daily. We had a pretty lazy day, since I was feeling the strain from over doing it the last few days. She did lots of eatting and sleeping, and sat with me on the couch and talked with me while I did some sewing. She loves having a visit with mommy. Tomorrow we are going to go visit Erin and her new son Carter. He was born a few weeks ago, so it will be nice to finally see him and give him our gift that has been collecting dust on the table. Hehe.

Check out this picture. Ariel is so long that her feet poke out when she gets wrapped up in her blanket. She won't let me tuck them in so its pretty funny to see. A burrito with feet. She is having more and more sleeps in her play yard again as her nose clears. A few more nights in her chair just to be sure. I think we will be moving upstairs soon. Its really cooled off now and I think its time for Ariel to sleep in her room. YAY.

And now, the many faces of Ariel. Enjoy!

YAY!

This is how both Ariel and I are feeling today! Daddy Ken is on his way home, in fact he should be flying our way as I type. Whee. Got to chat with him for a good hour last night, which was nice. Can't wait until those chats aren't over a phone.

Ariel was a bit out of sorts this morning, as she had trouble staying asleep. It was either a wet diaper or the strange noises outside. One of the neighbours was discarding furniture from the second level.... as in dropping it over the railing. Heheh, entertaining. She finally went down, as she was getting very fussy and annoyed. Poor girly, she knows when she needs sleep.

Well, I hear princess, better go feed her. Later!

Excuse me while I get on my soap box!

Ok, as an official ambassador of Veggie Tales (we have been since the movie came out a few years ago) we get sent material and information to share about where the show is going. Well, a month or so ago we got an email stating it was coming to NBC as a tv series. I must admit I was excited and thrilled, about time we got some veggies on tv, besides barbaric cooking shows (which I love, sorry). Anyhoo, found this article today, and needless to say, I am CHEESED!!!

Apparently, many of the references the show made about God were cut out. Um, last time I checked it was a SPIRITUAL show! God tends to get mentioned. What floors me is the fact the creator wasn't even told until until a few weeks ago that many changes were to be made. Things like changing the closing from:

"God made you special and he loves you very much,"

to:

"Thanks for coming over to my house, kids. See you next week."

My favorite comment coming from the network is that the cuts were made for length and not for religious content. Excuse me while I die from laughter. Someone said it best when they referred to NBC as National Board of Censorship. Too True. If they didn't like it the way it was, why did they buy it? They change it to reach a broader audience... um, don't you think if they bought the dvds eventually for the kids they be surprised there is mention of God? So will we see special 'God Edition' versions in the stores with huge stickers warning parents that God is mentioned as if it were a swear word? Sigh.

I watch several shows that air on NBC, and they aren't all that pretty. In fact many are very disturbing with VERY graphic images. Not to mention daytime soaps with very racy images. So just that we are all clear, God bad.... violence and sex good.

God isn't someone who hasn't been on tv before. Many shows, past and present, focus around religious content: 7th Heaven, Joan of Arcadia, Touched by an Angel, Wonderfalls just to name a few. Why is it ok for family evening viewing but not saturday morning cartoons? This is one parent and veggie sponsor that plans on playing the dvds for my daughter... in full. God talk and all. I hope she won't be scarred for life.

Ok, now to close with something far more exciting!!! After a long break since the last album....
Weird Al Yankovic has a new cd!!!!!!!!!! I saw the video today for "white and nerdy." Suddenly, I am sooooo uber happy. I have posted it so you can all laugh along with me. Full album is available on September 26th, WOOT! Featuring parodies of Chamillionaire, Green Day, Usher, R. Kelly and Taylor Hicks! I guess I am pretty white and nerdy too.


Get this video and more at MySpace.com

Grey skys are gonna clear up...

...put on a happy face. We are trying. Hehe. Both of us had nice long sleeps last night. My migraine was acting up so Nana spent the night just in case. Thankfully, she was able to sleep the whole night too. Ariel is still sniffly but improving a lot. More smiles during her play time, which is always great. The only time she was uber fussy was bedtime when she was fighting the urge to go to sleep. Once she gave in she was out and didn't wake up till her late night feeding.

Now just because princess is sick doesn't mean she still can't look cute. Check out her minnie mouse track suit from Kyle and Megan. I love the mouse ears on the hood. Lol.

Talked to Ken last night, had a nice visit. Still having a great time, and hopes we can go next time with him. That be fun. As for now, I think the sickies are gonna go rent some chick flicks. Yay. If anything exciting happens I shall post, if not, then expect we are resting.

Feeling Icky x2

So this blog entry is a combo of yesterday thoughts and today, and you will see why as you read. This has been a service announcement. Thanks.

Well it seems now both us gals are sick. Ariel had her regular night feeding no problem but then woke up at 630am with the sniffles. Poor thing was not impressed and was pretty plugged up. We did some saline drops to loosen the mucus and that helped a lot. She was able to eat she was very happy for several hours sitting with mommy on the couch. Ariel would sleep on and off, and only had one barf episode where some of her lunch came up with a lot of the mucus from her tummy that she swallowed. Lots of diaper changes and they are still looking pretty good. The number 2’s are showing signs of a cold/flu (duh). Either way, she is Mommy's little trooper and isn’t fussy at all. In fact she has been really tough, only getting a bit sad when she wanted more to eat and was having trouble because she found it hard to breathe and eat at the same time, or be changed. The one thing different is her face, not as smiling as usual. I got her to grin when I pulled out Kermit and when I was talking to her in a funny voice. She even talked to daddy on the phone this morning and managed a smile, and I managed to capture it because it was too cute.

Sounds like Ken is having a good time. I am kinda glad he isn’t here to catch this. At least Ariel takes after me when she is sick, a strong fighter. I love Kenny, but when he is sick he is a bit of a baby, like most men in general. I miss him a lot right now, it be nice to have some extra hands. Nana has stepped in to help and is planning on staying the night. She doesn’t have to, but I think it helps calms her.

I am writing this in word right now because my stupid internet is down. Blah. Something about the little box from the cable people. Someone is coming in tomorrow to fix it. Still, its just another thing to add to the crappy list. Blah.

So its official that we aren’t going to coffee party tomorrow, which was to be our baby shower. Sigh. I am really bummed, and when Ken called at dinner time I had a bit of a cry. I was really looking forward to it, but I guess this stuff happens. I haven’t had a baby shower yet and the church one isn’t till October 1st. Its not that Ariel hasn’t had tons of gifts, she has been spoiled big time, but its just the idea of having the shower if that makes sense? You really only get a shower with the first baby and I just hope I don’t blow the church one now.

Nana is rocking Ariel in her nursery and listening to Raffi. She was upset I didn’t let her lay on her back, which she loves, because I didn’t want the mucus to get all bad again, she has to be elevated I have been told. It helps her breathe easier, and it defiantly true. Her bouncy chair has been a life saver. Anyhoo, I hope to post this on Friday, that is if my computer is fixed. Argh. As for now, its time for the season premire of ER. Whee.

Ok, here are todays thoughts...

Ariel had a good night, slept her usual hours, up at 3 to eat and then slept till morning. Yay. Nana and I however, were awake most of the night keeping an eye on her. She only had one time where she was overwhelmed with the snotty nose and she didn't even wake up, it was all in her deep slumber that I did the drops etc. Crazy girl is a heavy sleeper.

This morning she was feeling better. Still clogged a bit but she has slept most of the day and hasn't had any problems at all. Yay. I am hoping this means a good sleep tonight for me. I was feeling great except for a cough today, until about 5pm when my stupid headache came back, so not cool. Plus I couldn't catch a nap since I had no clue when the cable guy was coming to fix the silly modem. He came finally, then left, and returned 20 minutes later with our older style modem that was upgraded in the summer. Anyhoo, it works and thats all I care. I need my internet.

So we missed the shower. Booo! We did get a surprise visit of Irene, Linda and Stella to deliver the gifts. Boy did she get some neat things. A few cute outfits, some cool books, kit to take her hand and foot prints, block letters spelling out her name and several other neat treats. She also got fun mail over the past 2 days. A cute sleeper set from my Uncle Barry, Aunty Janet and their kids, a month old birthday cheque from her Great Grandpa Priebe and a few special cards from friends. I need to decide how I want to save her cards. Either in a box like I did with our wedding cards or in a scrapbook like I did with our engagement and shower cards.

I have also started her christmas stocking, hee. Will show it when its done. Yay. I mention it just so I know I have to finish it in time, and this makes the pressure greater. lol.

Ok, thats everything I think. Pray for us gals, being sick is no fun and I can't stand seeing poor little Ariel feeling that way. Hoping she bounces back soon. Also for Ken and his adventures in Ottawa. Sounds like he is having a good time.

We Miss You Daddy!

So Kenny left this morning at about 10ish in a cab. Wah. It sure felt different with Ariel clinging to me as we watched the cab pull away. Being sick I am sure didn't help so I ended up crying a bit. Good thing Ariel is a good comforter. She has been a dream the past 2 days since I was hit with this bug. She hasn't been uber fussy and has been sleeping for really long stretches with in turn I get to sleep too. Its a big help and I love her for it. Ken is gone till Monday afternoon and I hope it goes fast.

Poor Ken this morning was freaking out because the fellow who was travelling with him to the festival hadn't shown up at the meeting spot. Ken was calling and asking what he should do if by chance the guy didn't show. I am glad he finally made it, not with a whole lot of time to spare, but lucky it was just a domestic flight, and easier to get through.

Last night we were watching the daily show and they were talking about the bad spinach outbreak and how we need to 'toss our salad'. I know its a lame joke but I found it funny. Hehe. While we watched, I realized in her blue nightie and red binkie, Ariel looked like Maggie Simpson. LOL.

Nana came by to watch Ariel so I could run to the post office and mail some discs off to Grandpa Priebe and Ken's mom. It was pouring rain otherwise I would have taken the princess along too. Too cold and wet, most likely not great for me either.

Well, gonna get some dinner.

Feeling Icky

Thats how I am somewhat feeling at the moment. Not sure if its allergies or flu but its not fun. My head started feeling sore around noon, all morning my nose was running and I couldn't stop sneezing. Nana had come over to get the Ariel's laundry and ended up rocking her to sleep and holding her so I could have a hot shower, a bowl of soup and a quick nap so my headache pills could take hold. My little girl slept and then proceeded to sleep most of the afternoon, only waking once for a quick snack. That extra rest helped and I feel a bit brighter but my head and nose are still gross. Can't be sick, cuz Ken leaves tomorrow for Ottawa. Blah.

Also this morning, the lady from the hospital came by to give me the run down on the special program I will be using for an infant study I agreed to take part in. They left me with a palm pilot with a special diary program, I have to fill it out for 7 days on Ariel's 24 hour activity. So I put in when she sleeps, eats, cries etc. I also put in how I am feeling at end of each day. Its pretty interesting, hence my willingness to take part. After this week, I then do another week, only this one is written. They even are paying a small amount for my time, and Ariel gets a neat certificate for her baby book.

Ariel is busy playing in her bouncy chair. She is starting to reach out at the hanging toys and smiles at them. Its pretty cute and exciting to see her developments. She still prefers laying on the floor all stretched out. I even have to wrap her in her blanket a bit differently so that her legs aren't tucked but allowed to be straigh. I may have to make some slightly longer blankets if she continues this trend.

Ken just called, and is going to be leaving the office later just so he can finish some last minute stuff up. Then its home in a cab with all the junk he has to haul on the airplane. Guess we are packing tonight. Whee.

My little meatloaf!

And I do mean that in a loving way of course. Hehe. This morning was Ariel's one month doctor's visit. She got to meet with her pediatrician for the first time and was a perfect little patient. Ariel did manage to kick the phone off during her weigh in, but other than that it was pretty low key. Now for her numbers, she is officially tipping the scales at 11.5 pounds! She is also now 22.5 inches long, a full inch growth since her birth. Needless to say looking at the chart, she is doing fabulous! She is also booked for her first shots next month, which left mommy with lots of paperwork to read up on. I am glad they give you so much info, it helps. My blood pressure is also getting better. The bottom number has dropped big time, and now we just need the top number to do the same. The more I get my life moving again the better I seem to be. Yay

After the doctors, we took Nana to coffee. She has a bad sinus cold, blah. She has to rest up and get better. Then we went to pick up a few cooler Cotton sleepers at Saans, as all Ariel has that fit her are warmer ones, and it can be sometimes warmer in our place so better to have a few choices. She did wear her cute poodle one last night and to the doctor's today. Her cousin Kyle and his girlfriend Megan gave her that one, along with several other cute goodies. I need to put her in the Minnie Mouse track suit they got her. It even has mouse ears on the hood. LOL! With the colder weather finally coming in, I can do that pretty soon.

Speaking of goodies, Ariel got another present in the mail from my grandma darlene. Another outfit for 9 months and cute diaper shirt, her favorite style with the snaps down the front. (Maybe they are my favs for quite diaper changes) I too got a present in the mail. I got my gift from Ken for becoming a mommy and doing such a great job going through the whole labour and surgery thing. Its a Mommy Bracelet, which has Ariel's name spelled out and her birth stone in little crystals. Its very special and perfect! I love it! The neat thing is you can add more bands for every child you have. Thanks honey!

New Look

No more dots! I was getting pretty tired of seeing spots everyday and so much of my free time today has been getting this new look up and running. Yay! Has anyone updated to the new goggle blogger beta version yet? I did and can't comment on other blogs as me until they update too, blah.

This is Ariel at the moment. She is upstairs in her crib sleeping. She has been catnapping most of the morning. Awake, diaper change, snuggle, feed, burb, snuggle, sleep, repeat! Yes, must be nice.

In other news, the secret costume I ordered arrived this week, I think I forgot to mention it. I am not that big on the whole meaning of halloween thing, but I don't mind the cute costumes and pumpkins. I really hate the ick factor. Give me a harvest festival instead. So Ariel needed a funny outfit, with nothing to do with evil or scary stuff, and I found the perfect thing. Everyone has to wait, but trust me, its worth it. LOL.

Ken is gone, ALL DAY. Sniff. He is putting in some extra time after his classes to prepare for his trip to Ottawa. Its hard him gone so much, but I guess its good pratice for next week. Its coming fast, Wednesday he will be gone... sigh.

The awards thing he went to the other night was pretty cool apprently. Here is the link to the offical website. Ariel had to pose with him in his tux. Man, the boy looks good dressed up. Anyhoo, they went in a limo and everything. One of the student's work won an award and Ken went to accept it on his behalf.

I also managed to get the majority of thank you cards done and in the mail. There are still a few left and I think I shall try and finish those tonight. Also, all the announcements are mailed, so I can post the image finally for those I don't have an address for. If you want one sent, I still have extras. I didn't hear back from everyone I emailed for address updates. Oh well. Guess thats all for now, later gaters.

One Month Old

Yes, I mentioned it in my early post today, but I wanted to do a little more for my princess who is celebrating a month! Its pretty big news for a baby right? Heh. So I was taking some pictures in the afternoon during our playtime and thought I'd post some. I still can't get over how much she is growing and changing each day. Such a little wonder. Here is a little video clip of her smiling, its too cute!

Let sleeping babies lie

First off, my little girl is offically a month old!!! YAY! Crazy how time flys. But returning to my title, thats what I am doing, she is completely out. It actually was great, I got some much needed cleaning done around here. YAY! Ariel woke up at 6am and went back down till 9ish. Then we had a much needed bath, after bringing some of her breakfast back up over herself. Once she was bathed, dry and snuggled up in clean clothes and blankie, she was counting sheep. Its almost 1230 and she is still sawing logs. I check on her every so often and I think she will wake up soon as she is starting to squirm a bit. Still, it was nice to have a long break to get several rooms in livable condition again.

Yesterday afternoon, Ariel got some more mail that I forgot to mention. A gift from her great-grammy Ambrose, which was a 'my first Bible' and a cd with songbook. She also got her birth certificate from the government. So she is offical! YAY.

Ken had a coffee date with good friend Toby last night. He has been a bit of a social butterfly this week, hehe. Anyhoo, they had a good time and Ken came home and had daddy daughter snuggle time. She fell asleep in his arms, too cute. It was nice for me to get some time to eat and wash up.

Tonight is the awards show, so Ken is out till late. Just the girls tonight. I think I will introduce Ariel to Survivor. Hehe. She will most likely sleep through it. Ended up getting the baby shower date finalized for October 1st. Should be fun! There is also one coming up at the coffee party group next friday. It will be good to be busy as Ken leaves on Wednesday. Sniff. At least I'm not totally alone anymore when he goes away. Its nice.

Losing my marbles

So yesterday was a bit a mixed bag. The morning was great. I did in fact not go crazy. On friday there had been a note saying Fed-ex had been there and would return on monday to try and redeliver a package for us. Well, on monday, a UPS man came and brought the kermit toy and yet no Fed-ex in sight. I called, but didn't have the tracting number and just assumed a postal code would do it. Well the lady said no packages were scheduled. I began believing I mistook the slip for Fed-ex when in fact it was UPS. Just as I was about to chalk one up in the stupid tally, the Fed-ex lady arrived bright and early on tuesday. Good grief. Anyhoo, it was Ariel's gift from the Trottier gang. It was a lovely silver cross necklace, very special indeed. We need to get back to thank you cards today, we are getting behind again.

Later in the morning we went out for a walk with Nana till about noon. Ariel did ok, was a bit fussy at times, mostly since she really just wanted to lay out straight rather than sit in the carseat attached to the buggy. I ended up carrying her and she fell asleep rather quickly. Nothing beats a good snuggle.

Once we were home, she slept most of the afternoon. Ken was staying late so we were off the hook for getting dinner ready. I had my lunch leftovers and Ariel played on her floor blanket. Daddy Ken came home and had some time with Ariel. He read her some books and she really enjoyed that. Ended the evening with the Daily Show and went to bed. And so begins another day!

A day of days

Today is the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. Ken and I were discussing it last night, remembering where we were when we heard the news and the course of our days surrounding it. We were just waking up, listening to the radio then as Ken left for work I was watching the tv reports and suddenly realizing how big this really was. Ken was really nervous and upset, being an American and having family that could be in harms way. Its one of those things you will never forget.

Now, on this sunny Monday, my 4 week old daughter gave me a wonderful gift today. Her first REAL smile in response to me talking to her. Soooooo very cool! She really is changing and growing. I was reading the first year book and sure enough she is right on cue with cooing, smiling and watching my face. Now September 11th will have another memory attached, one of hope and joy.

Ariel also had a great day, she got another gift in the mail. This one was from our friend Galen and his family. They sent Ariel her first KERMIT THE FROG!!! Of course she loved it, look at that smile. She was pretty darn excited and frankly, we aren't that surprised in the least. Yay for Kermit!

Finally, Ken is going to some awards night downtown on Thursday. Its some thing for animation and video games I think. Anyhoo, he has to rent a tux, hehe. Nice! Best part, William Shatner is hosting the event! LOL. Thats totally worth going for, and Ken actually wasn't that interested at first. I was like, go you silly twit! Have some fun. He is feeling a bit bad that he is going away next week and wants to spend as much time with us as possible. However, no one should turn down a chance to see the big Star Trek man himself. Hehe. Beam me aboard!

Family day

Sunday turned out to be a nice family day. We headed to church this morning where our new worship pastor ended up pulling out an accordion for one song, lol. No, it was really good, and a neat surprise too. After the service we got a tour of the new wing that is under construction. Its soooooo big and amazing! I can't wait to see it finished. I still can't believe its gonna be done by december this year. Also found out I will be getting a call about the church ladies throwing me and Ariel a baby shower. Yay. Fun times! I can enjoy it now with the wedding done and my healing on the up and up.

After church Ariel went to Nana's so we could do a quick Costco run. We ended up getting a new christmas tree, which I have been wanting to get since 2 years ago. Ours is becoming a bit on the small side with all the ornaments I keep making. This one is a 7.5 foot and its pre-lit. Yay. The idea of doing lights when there is a baby around seemed more trouble thans its worth. So its a nice feature indeed. Nana wants to use our other tree until we move to another place where I can have both up. Yes, I want 2 trees in my home one day. Hee. Costco was uber packed and I was glad to finally get out alive. Didn't do much food shopping since we needed toilet paper and paper towel, once you have those in the buggy there isn't much room left. So just imagine the tree in there as well. Ken nearly took out some people with it. Anyways, the freezer still have a good supply of food to eat up first.

Then we had dinner with Dad and Rita at Boston Pizza. Dad is going out of town for almost a month so it was nice to see him before he left. Ariel gave him a little gift for Grandparents Day, which was today. Seems like we get more holidays every year. Now we are home and Ken is trying to calm the gal, not sure if its going to work. The 7pm-9pm time is usually 'I want mommy only' time since Ken is usually busy in the office. But I think she finally gave in and has fallen asleep. Huzzah! My husband is so awesome! He cares for Ariel and I so much, and I love how he calls us 'his girls.' I just got this picture from my Dad's collection of pics he took at Mike and Jo's wedding. I love it of Ken and his little button. Hee.

Just got an email from my client, and it looks like I will be getting some more work my way soon. They just put a quote in for more newsletters, so thats very cool. Will be interesting trying this working from home now that Ariel is here, but she is such a great girl that I am pretty confident we will find our way. Frankly, its a real blessing that I have this option in my life to be home with my family and still have the chance to be creative with his job. Life is good and indeed a blessing. Like we sang this morning in worship, 'for the Lord is good.' Amen.

Crashing

Ariel has crashed, and so have I. Its been a busy few days with lots of visits and social gatherings. Yesterday my friend from high school Gwen came by to see Ariel and gave her a lovely blanket her mom made and a cute outfit. Ariel even managed to be awake for the visit.

Then it was off to Nana's to see my mom's cousins Brenda and Anne Marie, along with little Brett. When playing with Brett, he had a toy car and dinosaure, and I made a comment about how they were friends. He looked he straight in the eye and said, No, they aren't friends. Upon asking why, he replied, because they're not. I stand corrected I guess. My world of everyone getting along in toy land has been destroyed by a little boy. LOL. Thanks Brett, I won't make that mistake again, hehe.

Ariel got a huge bag of goodies from Brenda and Anne Marie, including several outfits, booties, rattles and socks oh my. Heh. My favorite was the little romper with the mermaid on it. It will go great with her mermaid booties. I think I see a trend here, hee.

Once daddy Ken got home, we then attended a surprise 50th birthday party for a friend from church. Lots more visiting and Ariel did very well and we only had to change 2 diapers. Once getting home again, we called it a night as Ken had to start his saturday classes again this weekend.

Today we have been lounging while Ken is gone. Actually, the big excitement is our front door. They have been doing lots of painting in our building and everyone has been getting newly painted blue doors. Which are really nice compared to the dirty grey we have now. Some how I thought we were missed because our little hallway had no pretty doors and everyone else on our floor did. Coming in last night I was moaning to Ken how I wanted my pretty door. Well, didn't have to wait long, right now there is a painter making my door pretty. Whee! Hense, Ariel and I are upstairs until the fumes clear. So she is trying out the upstairs crib for the first time today. Not sure what she thought at first but after putting in the Raffi cd she seemed to like the new surroundings.

Well, I think I too will grab a quick nap. I might steal Ariel's elephant too, he is pretty cute, and matches her outfit today. Thats how babies do fashion, forget the matching handbag, its all about the stuffed toy or blankie.

Catching up

Isn't she cute in her buggy. Awe! This is from our coffee shop visit yesterday, sorry no post. I do believe I am getting a sinus infection, as one side of my head and face is uber sore to the touch. Ugh. Not fun. I was also distracted with our stupid email doing dumb stuff, but after a simple comment from a tech guy and alot of deleting later, our mail is perfect again. I never realized the backup of stuff in the sent folder. Sure I empty the deleted folder all the time, but never thought about the sent folder. Apparently, when one has over 4000 messages in there, some with huge attachments from my graphics work, it can make the email not work properly. Its fixed and I can move on.

Just got off the phone with Gwen, she is gonna stop by tomorrow morning. Yay. Then I am off to Nana's later that morning for more visiting. I am a popular girl, well, perhaps its the other gal. The cute one who drools. Speaking of Ariel, she is sleeping right now. Nana came to watch her so I could run to the post office for stamps and to the store for milk and sour cream for tonights dinner. Kinda odd leaving the gal behind. Its getting harder to do.

I hear the colder weather is coming, huzzah! I want to return to my own bed soon. I made Ken return last night as I pretty much can handle Ariel on my own now at night. I can get up no problem and it isn't sore so thats good. Besides, he has to go to work and be all the 'man of the house.' Hehe. Its a busy time too so he has alot to do and needs rest, I however get by on very little. Its a gift! But its not like this kid is up all hours either. She went to bed when I did at 1130ish and woke up at 5am. She then always wakes up when Ken leaves at 715am, which is really cute, she wants to see him off. Hee.

Ok, I should get some food and get back to the thank you cards.

Is your mom home?

Thats what I was asked today when I answered the phone at dinner time... I really didn't know how to respond. I kinda started doing the um and ah thing, how do you tell a person you are indeed the mom? Sigh. Upon asking Ken if I sound like a kid on the phone, he said yeah, but I know its you. Didn't help, heh. Most people making that mistake would then say, oh sorry and continue on, this woman just basically said, really? You sound like a kid. Nice. Thanks lady.

This lovely photo of Ariel is for her Aunty Jo and Uncle Mike. She is in her new outfit that they brought back for her. Now, what you don't know is, I put it on her and within 10 minutes, no joke, she had a 'crap attack' and had poop right up her back. GACK! So much for the outfit today eh? Nana ended up taking her laundry today and is a master of removing the stains, so the outfit will live to see another day. I just love her face, 'I did what?'

Other than the poop, we had a good day. I finished Ariel's cross stitch for her room. I hope to take it to the framers this week. We also did a test run with the baby bjorn snuggly Ken's mom gave us. After the horror stories of how I hated the snuggly as a baby, I was nervous to see the response. She actually seemed to enjoy it, but she is also a big cuddle muffin, so score one for the snuggly.

Also I am discovering the odd feeling of nerve endings healing from my surgery. Thats pretty strange. I read alot lately about women who feel cheated out of giving birth when having a c-section. Um, you still tynically gave birth, sure you were cut open like a thanksgiving turkey but you still had a baby. There is a pretty strong chance that I will have to have a c-section again when the time comes again. I don't really mind, all that matters to me is that there is a little person for me to hold at the end. Thats my deep thought for the day. Whee.

Dinner was a cabbage casserole in the freezer from Fran, yum. Ken went up to animate shortly after and I watched some tv. Big Brother is almost over, very addictive for summer viewing, especially since I got hooked as a huge pregnant chick who was required to rest and found it the only thing on at the time. I haven't seen the show since season 1, back in the summer of housesitting. I must admit, the only reason to watch was Chicken George, but he is gone now, sniff.

Been thinking alot about the tragic death of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. Seeing the last few minutes of Larry King, they were showing pictures that kids drew to express their feelings over his death. This guy was like a superman to them, I never realized how much of an icon he was to youngsters. Its sad that he has a young family that now has to continue on without him. I feel for his wife and kids.

Getting sleepy, time to zonk before the girl wakes up to eat.

Labour Day

Today was a nice day of visiting and light activity. We had a lazy morning around the house until it was time to go to Dad's house for the gift opening. Mike and Jo had a nice honeymoon on the Oregon Coast with plenty of whale watching. Apparently, now is a prime time to see them, who knew? They brought back some fun outfits for Ariel, including uber cute pink mukluks!!! Speaking of the princess, she slept through the whole present event. At first she was on the bed guarded by the friendly pillow brigade, but was then moved to the living room cuz we missed her. There was the thought of her getting lost in the wrapping paper, but we figured she be safe.

Mike and Jo got some lovely gifts, enough cash to buy a new mattress, because a king one is now needed since Jo needs a bit of room to hide from my brothers snoring. LOL. I guess its good she heard him snore while taking a nap before they were married, be a pretty interesting surprise to discover on one's honeymoon. I was told there were ear plugs and headphones needed at one point. I heart Jo! What a gal!

We came home and I started addressing the envelopes to send out the birth announcements that were finished being printed this morning. I think I really had a good idea getting my photoshop design printed by the London Drugs people. They had them printed in 10 minutes! Crazy! They turned out so well, I am one happy momma! Watch your mail box for them! I will post the image once I mail them out, surprises are good right? Also got my thank you cards started, but those will take more time since I have to write in each of them. Won't it be fun to get mail that isn't bill related?

Ken has been animating like crazy to finish the scene for Galen. Looks really good. He also has been playing with his new toy, a VCR to DVD dubbing machine. You can put in a video tape or video camera footage and transfer it directly to a DVD without needing the computer. Its pretty cool, but I think Ken is going to enjoy and use it more than I. It will be great for sending footage of Ariel to family, thats the big plus!

Oh, before I forget again, dumb brain, big thanks to Karen (Dianne's sister) for passing down some of her daughter's clothes to Ariel. I have a huge garbage bag of cute things for when she is older. Its a little hard to believe she is going to fit them one day. Whee.

I guess thats it for today, Ken is back at work tommorrow, and I am planning to clean up the cave known as our home.

Girl on the move!

I am really on the move! Last night I stayed up a bit later and finished our birth announcements! Woot. I had an idea what I wanted, checked the net to look for color ideas, then took elements from ones I liked and then added my own touch and bam, they are done. I uploaded the file to London Drugs so they should be ready in an hour or so. Ariel is officially 3 weeks old tomorrow, I think that is pretty dang good considering I had surgery, a dedication and a wedding all in that time frame. I also got my thank you cards designed and printing as I type. I'm doing those on my own printer since its faster and cheaper. Ken has gone to buy envelopes and Ariel is still sleeping, so I figured I would blog, aren't I nice. Heh.

Church was good, Ariel did very well. I took her out when she stared to wake up, as she needed her diaper changed. We made it back for mommy to get communion, yay. That is a whole new obstacle with a baby indeed. Ariel enjoys the worship time, she loves music in general. When it was over she seemed a little bummed. She did however, watch Pastor Dave speak, I wonder if she rememebered his voice from his visit to our home?

Tonight we are having dinner at Nana's, yay for fish! Mike and Jo are back from their honeymoon, hoping to see them soon. Tomorrow is a holiday for Ken so we are gonna have a fun, mellow family day. Maybe a walk in the park and to visit the ducks!

Adventures in Richmond

This morning we packed up the almighty volvo and headed to Richmond in search of baby hangers, new closet pole and diaper pail. We dressed the princess in her bloop bloop outfit (one I bought when I found out I was having a girl). Its still a tad big, but she has tiny limbs. Either way, she was uber cute.

Stopped at toys r us first and found the hangers. You would think baby hangers are easy to find, not so! Couldn't find any here in town, and the only place I remember seeing them was toys r us. Strange indeed. Bought 6 packs of 10, thinking that was enough. Also found the much needed diaper pail for her room, as we will be returning to our room soon with the weather cooling down finally. Also found a cute outfit in a 12 month size, Kenny really liked it so into the basket it went. Their clothes are pretty dang cheap, so its a bonus.

Next we walked around several stores looking for a new closet rod. The one in Ariel's closet is really thick and hard to hang things on, so I wanted something smaller to put in while we are living here. Apprently, these rods are hard to find too. I did find a super cute pumpkin at Homesense. Its made from different fabrics and is perfect for my fall decor. I buy one new piece every year, so I have a pretty awesome collection now, its almost time to get them out too. Whee.

Finally, we stopped at Zellers and found the silly pole. We ate lunch as Ariel was waking up finally. On the way home we got the oil changed in the car, something I have had on my to-do list for awhile now. We stopped by Nana's and had a visit. Papa finally held Ariel and we didn't have our camera, poo. Must do that again, this time with camera. It was pretty cool how she was checking Papa out, not sure who he was. Hehe.

Came home and I hung the rod and started hanging the pile of clothes that we had been given. Its all done and I have NO spare hangers! So, I will have to pick up a few more next time I am out that way, sigh. I am pretty proud of the work I did, since I don't have tons of energy these days. However, now I am pretty beat and am gonna take a nap, so Jay over and out!

Big Baby

So we went to the doctors this morning and Ariel is now pushing the scales at 9lb 6oz. Doctors comment, she is definitely thriving. Um, no kidding, she is a meatloaf. She smiles, heheh, yeah, you know we are talking about you. However, she still has the smallest legs! As you can see in this picture, her leg holes are huge compared to her bird legs, so I can't figure out where she is pulling the extra weight.

Ken is still home sick. Looks like it is indeed a milk allergy. Got him some pills and stuff, hoping it works. He was up more last night than Ariel, who got up at 3am to eat and went back to sleep until 8am. What a girl!

Its a long weekend, and frankly we are keeping it MELLOW! After all the craziness of the past few weeks, we could use some down time. I want to work on Ariel's closet, it needs some attention, and work on the thank you cards and announcements. Also got the cross stitch for her room practically done, so hoping to take it in to get framed. Can't believe its September! I see the leaves, feel the air getting colder and yet it still doesn't seem real. Time is going fast.