The Nose Knows...

Ah... another day, another adventure. So last night when Ken called after his dinner, I was finally in break down mode. I was sobbing mainly due to being so tired and sore. Ariel had kicked and clawed me at the ER pretty badly and I just wanted Ken to be here to help. Of course he was beside himself when he heard what happened and how I couldn't reach him. He came in the door nearly in tears and after hugging me was at Ariel's side as she slept.

We had Ariel sleep in our room so we monitor her in the night. When I climbed into bed the nerves, pain and stress finally took its toll and I was REALLY sick in the bathroom. The rest of the night I didn't sleep well and was up every few hours trying to get comfortable.

7am finally comes and we shower and prepare to leave. Of course Ariel wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything, and lets just say that didn't go over well. We arrived at Children's Hospital at about 830am and were directed to the nose and throat specialist area. Since we didn't have an appointment, we had no idea how long we would have to wait to see someone since they had to 'try and fit us in'. Thankfully, a resident took us and got things started. Then we waited about 20 minutes to see the doctor, who was a wonderful man and was just fabulous with Ariel.


After looking up her nose, the doctor seemed to think that most of the bun must have made its way down the throat in her sleep. To be on the safe side, he brought in the scope, a tiny camera that had to go up Ariel's nose. That's when things got rough. With several med students standing around, and Ken hold Ariel's body, and I her head, the scope went into her nose. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. The tears were rolling down her cheeks and I must say I am surprised I didn't loose it. Maybe had Ken not been there I probably would have. The last of the bun seemed to be moved by the camera, and her nose was clear, yay! Thankfully food tends to come down easily where as things like paper or crayon don't (good to know!)


When they finished, Ariel jumped into my arms and wouldn't let go. She did perk up when the doctor brought her a princess wand for being a good patient. Frankly, all she cared about at that point was getting something to eat...


... so of course she picked quiche as her breakfast of choice. Yay. We had a long talk over breakfast about food belonging in the tummy, not the nose. I am hoping the pain of the scope up the nose will help enforce that memory. Ha.


Ken stayed home to work the remainder of the day, which was a huge help to me. I was still really tired from the day before and not sleeping well. I took Ariel out to visit Anna and Katrina for a few hours so Ken could get some work done, and then came home so he could take over and I could rest. Ahhh. My feet are really swollen and I keep hopping in the cold shower to take the edge off. Ugh. Heat = bad!!!

Soooooooooooo, here is the long overdue fashion show. I got some great mix and match pieces that will be great for preschool, easy pull down leggings and skirt (gotta make bathroom trips easy.) Generally Ariel is really good with harder things like tights and jeans, but I figure these will be easier to move around in. Plus the skirt has a built in underpants over, so no need to worry if she isn't 'lady like' completely. Haha. So here we go... Ariel loved the teapot on this shirt, my tea party girl!


The leggings with a different top, yay for cupcakes!


We also got a sweater Ariel can wear for some extra warmth if she needs it. She needs layers since she can get overheated so quickly. The hat was her pick, she loves her hats!


Finally a new sweater dress! We LOVE these, and the fact next year it will be a tunic top is great for multi wear.


I also found Ariel a cute lunch bag for her snack at the Gap. So cute!!!


I hope it was worth the wait, haha. There will be more to share, as Grammy told us today she went shopping for school stuff for Ariel too and its coming with her birthday gifts in a big box. Woot! Grammy also shared another one of Ken's cousins has gotten engaged and the wedding is in NEW YORK next summer most likely. I have been dying to go to New York, so crossing our fingers that we can swing it. The fact Ken's family would be there is a plus, since we could make a big vacation out of it. Eek. Positive thoughts!!! Haha.

Well, I am going back to the cold shower, as I am melting... only a tad longer till the sun goes down... ugh. If we do ever have another baby, note to self, summer pregnancies SUCK!!! You would have thought I would have learnt that lesson the last time, but this guy was meant to be, so I guess we don't always have a say. Haha. Hmm, maybe Ken wants some ice cream... hee.

Just when you think life is boring...

Ken is off eating a fabulous french meal tonight as they have a guest visiting the school, and its his birthday. This is an annual event and I knew it was coming, but right now I am SERIOUSLY craving an amazing meal somewhere. Ugh. Some place that doesn't give out cheap plastic toys... you get my drift. Haha.

Right now, I am a pool of sweat, lovely image eh? Its REALLY hot today and I just can't stay cool, as hard as I try. I think I may need to jump in the cold shower again after I finish this. Eating ice cubes have been my main activity most of the day, while painting. My goal is to do at least 2 paintings a day to stay on schedule. So far, I have pretty much one final one and a half one done today, so more painting in store for me tonight.

My cross stitch has to wait till I finish, I jumped projects again, this time working on Xander's birth announcement one for his room. Can I say, there is NOTHING that I liked for a boy in the patterns I searched. Why are girl ones so cute and boy ones so ugly? If you don't like sports, well, it doesn't leave a lot to choose from. I ended up going with something not really meant as a birth thing, but by adding his name at the bottom with date of birth, I think its perfect. Its a pair of dragons looking at their new baby dragon. (I also have no clue if I talked about it before, if I had, sorry, baby brain!) Baby dragon is looking good, but its much larger than I thought, so it might not be done in time. Oh well.


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ok, I was writing this and then we had an 'incident'. Ariel decided tonight was a good night to try and do something stupid. Yes, she stuck cinnamon bun up both nostrils, and I honestly have no clue why. She was having a snack and playing with her toys when she comes over and is making an odd sniffing sound. She then says 'I sorry I stick bun in my nose.' WHAT!!!!!!! I tilt her head back and sure enough, I see 2 large lumps of dough. I get her to try and blow her nose and we manage to get one large piece out but the other side is much deeper. That side is also oozing and there is blood, suggesting she tried herself to get it out.

So I grab her and off to the ER we go... can I say how upset I am at this moment that Ken's phone isn't on. Ugh. After waiting at least an hour, and listening to the nurses talk about their kids and various things up their noses we get in to see the doctor. Ariel is flipping out now, kicking and screaming. They hold her down and with a quick look the doctor announces he can't do anything, and that we have to go to Children's hospital tomorrow.

We are home now and Ariel has fallen asleep on the couch. She isn't allowed any food or water past midnight, great... that will be easy, HA! I know I promised to post Ariel's fashion show, but I am a mess at the moment, so it will most likely be tomorrow... along with everything that happens regarding her nose. Sigh...

See, I Blogging!

Hehe, I promised to be better this week. So here it is! Woot. Had a good but busy weekend. On Saturday, Ariel went to Stella's while Ken and I went to a wedding to film the ceremony for the bride and groom. It was a very traditional service and we enjoyed getting to be a part of it. Since we got there early to set up, I managed to get a shot of the bride's flowers that were waiting at the church for her.


Afterwards, we picked up Ariel, got some free slurpees and came home so Ken could animate. He was on a tight deadline to finish the stuff for Galen, and worked late into the night. I am happy to say as of this morning, its now in the hands of UPS on its way to Nashville. Yay! Now all that is left is Ken's course writing and then he is DONE DONE DONE for baby's arrival!!!

Saturday night also happened to be the annual Tour de Delta so we went down to ring our cowbell and watch some of the action. Ariel was really into the bikes this year, and the bell of course was a hit. Haha. She would yell 'FASTER, GO FASTER!!!'


A sushi dinner was decided as we continued to watch, Ariel is a fan of tempura shrimp and sweet potatoes, haha.


Gosh I feel huge in this picture, but we still look cute.


I just downloaded some new songs from itunes and Ariel is having a dance party in the living room. If I wasn't lazy I find the flip video to share, but next time, I ain't getting up, haha. My energy has been getting less and less as we get closer to baby. I dream of the day when I can go for a power walk with the stroller and not feel like a sack of potatoes. Won't be long now... 44 days till my c-section. Whee.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday morning. I had to bring Ariel with me, and thank heavens she didn't spike my blood pressure too much, haha. Of course she nearly jumps off the chair while they are taking my BP, ack! It was 128/75 so a tad higher than the past two visits but still better than it had been. My doctor also noted I am measuring about 2-3 weeks ahead still. I also may get another ultrasound just to check on baby's size and position as this visit he was transverse again (sideways).

Today we went for a walk to the store for more milk. Making my fav meatloaf for dinner tonight, yummy. Got some fresh new potatoes and corn to go with it, oooh. I am excited, can you tell. Hee. The rest of the afternoon I painted illustrations for Ariel's birthday book. As usual, we are cutting it close, but thank goodness for fast shipping, hee. I hope to have them done by next Monday which gives 2 full weeks till the party, so I should be ok. Oooh, a sneak preview...


Speaking of the party, the invitations have started to arrive at their destinations as of today, so I can share what they look like. Yay!

This is how they look once out of the envelope, a cool pocket with a tropical feel.


Then pull out the invite and you have the information side. (I smudged the address and email, sorry - no party crashers, haha)


Flip it over and you have the year look back at Ariel photo collage. I did it last year and had to do it again, just so fun to see how much she has changed.


Yes, a tad simpler this year, but hey, I am extremely pregnant, haha. I love the color scheme this year, aqua blue is a fav of mine. I have been getting the party stuff all together and ready to go for the big day. So excited, I love parties and having a chance to visit with friends will be great. Feel so cooped up these days. Blah. I still have to do my food shop the week before the party, I have my superstore points saved up and have $100 bucks free to spend, woot. I love free!


Yesterday I whipped up my cousin Kyle and his fiance Lindsay's save the date cards. I always enjoy wedding stuff, so it was a fun project. So yeah, its been busy here, but good. Been a bit down but the projects keep my brain off all the thoughts that seem to pass through it. Looking forward to gymbucks day tomorrow with Stella! Maybe a fashion show will be up later this week! Can you believe its fall stuff coming out? I am picking some basics for Ariel's preschool days and some goodies for Xander.

Ok, meatloaf is done, Ken should be here soon... yay dinner!

Its Friday.... really?

I realized that this morning as I was checking the email. Where did the week go? Its been a busy one, more so for Ken in the evenings with working late to finish his projects, but I have gotten lots done too.

Going back to earlier this week, on Monday night we had dinner at Dad and Rita's because lots of my family was going to be around for dinner. Aunt Valerie and Jim were in from out of town, and so rallying the lower mainland family was in order. Uncle Barry and Aunt Janet, Uncle Jerry and Aunt Rachel, Mike and Jo and even one of my cousins Eyal with his son Eliran.

Ariel had fun playing with Eliran, who is about 16 months, although she was frustrated he wasn't communicating with her. Since he is so big, I think she thought he was her age, and many times was in his face saying 'You are being naughty boy!' (Note the hands on the hips, such a girl!)


Eventually after much explaining that he was still a baby compared to her, she eased up and enjoyed playing and holding his hand.


Aunt Valerie brought the kids some new stuffed puppies, and needless to say, Ariel was thrilled with hers. His name is bones.


Upon leaving, Ken snapped a picture of me and for once, I actually like it. Haha. I haven't been feeling that attractive lately, so a nice picture made my day.


On Tuesday, we had lunch out with Aunt Deborah, Kara and Stella. It was nice to have a visit and just relax over yummy food. It was a rainy day, so it was nice and cool too. Ahhh...


In the afternoon, Ariel helped me do some sewing projects (well she watched and commented mostly). We also got the finishing touches on her birthday invitations and got them in the envelopes... just waiting on the stamps.

On Wednesday we too the large pile of packages to the post office. I had gifts for various exchanges I was doing on my 2 mommy boards. One 3rd birthday gift for our friend Boston in California, and a secret shower gift for a gal on my 'Due In Sept' board. I took pictures of what I made her and her baby to be, so once she gets them I can share. Hee.

Thursday was a lazy day and so I decided to get creative with dinner and made something new. Found a recipe for asparagus stuffed chicken breasts in one of my cookbooks, complete with a hollandaise sauce. I even had new potatoes to go with it and oooh it was good. Ken was thrilled and I am excited for leftovers tonight.

Ariel has been really cute lately and very snuggly. I love it!


Since Ken was working late on the computer, I decided to stay up and cross stitch to keep him company. While watching the tv, there was breaking news about a small plane crash in Richmond near the Ikea! It was a 7-8 seat courier plane that went down, and how amazing that it didn't crash into any residential housing that was very close to that area. Talk about scary!!! Turns out this morning they said that it was carrying blood that was donated, which is upsetting too.

This morning I was starting my regular day until I remembered that I was going to a mommy's get together at Anna's home. So I got my butt in gear, showered and got out the door on time, yay! Before heading over, I swung by the post office to mail the birthday invitations. The stamps arrived Thursday morning (which totally surprised me) and I will totally share them because they are too cute. Ariel is holding a 'Stitch' doll, since the party theme is a Lilo and Stitch luau. I can't wait for the party... although I still have a long list of things to do before then. Gack!


The get together was fun. Katrina was there with her 6 week old son Caleb, and I got to hold him, yay! Can I say how wonderful it was to hold a baby again, I can't wait for Xander to get here. Isn't he cute?! Only 47 days till my c-section!!! Eek!


Ariel also had fun playing with all the new toys... especially on the trampoline with Issac.


Ellie came along with Olga and her baby girl, since her parents were busy with moving today. Ellie ended up giving some gum to Ariel, ugh! It was bound to happen eventually, however, when I went to get it from her, she swallowed it. Blah!!! Ariel didn't seemed phased by it, and I am thankful it didn't get stuck in her throat... or hair for that matter. Later after lunch I looked outside to see Issac, Ellie and Ariel all shirtless. Ellie was applying sunscreen to everyone, haha. A real glimpse of things to come eh?

We now are home and resting. I am pretty zonked and Ariel seems to be pretty tired too. I am gonna put my feet up and do some stitching. Tomorrow afternoon we are filming a wedding for some friends and Ken will be also working like crazy to finish the last of the animation he has to mail off to Galen. Hope you all have a fun weekend, and I will blog better next week, haha.

Hobbit Feet...

I looked down in the shower this morning and realized I have hobbit feet... ok minus the hair. I told Kara in church and she said at least its hard to see them, haha. I will say they are becoming more sore as the days go on. I don't think they are anywhere like they were in my first pregnancy, but I still have a month and 3 weeks to go. Yes, I know the exact time left, blah!

Friday morning Ariel and I walked into town since it was a tad cooler. We swung by the grocery store to pick up a few things and discovered a new machine by the door. It was called DVD Play. Basically, it was machine to rent new release movies from for only $2 (that's with the tax included). Basically it was a night rental, due back the next day at 7pm. There are only 2 video stores in our town, and needless to say that the $2 price wins hands down. We never rent anything new because I am cheap when it comes to rentals, haha. Usually we will request and wait for it at the library (sometimes months if the wait list is long) or wait till it becomes an old title, also months it seems, blah. This is a wonderful chance for us to see some new films we missed in the winter. So I rented Confessions of a Shopaholic since Ken was to be working on his course that night.

Later that evening, Ariel and I worked on some of her birthday party stuff. As she watched me glue the papers together to make her invitations I asked her who she wanted to invite... she looked up and said 'Papa'! I glanced at Ken who was at the computer who shot back a sad smile. I turned back to her and said, 'sweetie, Papa lives far away now and probably won't be able to come'. She looked disappointed and then asked, 'what about Nana.' That one got me in the gut. I bend down to her level and looked at her and reminded her that Nana went to heaven. She then seemed to remember and slumped against the counter in disappointment. I hugged her and we sat quietly for a moment. The big first finally came, Ariel's first party without her Nana and Papa. Sigh...

So yesterday was the 4th of July, and we had Ariel decked out in her red, white and blue dress I made last year. Glad it still fit like her Canada Day one. She was very eager to go to the parade... mostly due to the fact we said there was candy, haha.


We had breakfast with Dad and Rita, and then followed them down across the border into Point Roberts. Ariel was excited to play in the park close to where we sat on the road. Gotta love tire swings, especially there aren't any in our parks.


We sat down to watch the parade only to have my battery die on my camera, doh. I really wish I had it working because lets just say it was an 'interesting' parade. It was a space theme this year. Lots of tin foil, which I imagine wouldn't be comfortable in the heat. Ariel got into waving at everyone who passed in hopes of getting candy, haha.

One thing that happened that somewhat surprised us was Ariel's reaction when getting candy, or not getting it. The people on the floats threw candy and the kids ran to get it, but Ariel was tad slow, so this little guy next to us (and his over assertive grandmother who was egging him on to grab ALL the candy) took the piece of candy that Ariel was about to pick up. Needless to say she was stunned and then in shock to us, she turned and cried! My heart broke, I never have seen her react with so much feeling. 'He took my candy Mommy' she wailed. Of course after that (and the fact the Grandmother showed no remorse for the act) I had Ken help her. The young teen girl on the other side of us who saw what happened also would dash out and grab candy for Ariel. So we were thankful for her kindness, as was Ariel as she got her several lollipops, her fav!


After the parade we had lunch and came home to rest. I was zonked, Ariel chilled and Ken did some work. All in all, a lazy afternoon till dinner time. Bedtime proved to be rough getting Ariel down since she was so over tired that she couldn't settle. Ken finally had to lay down with her after I was too tired to get up anymore. Within 5 minutes of him laying there beside her, she was out like a light.

Today was church and another lazy afternoon. We cleaned up the living room when I broke down in tears because it was so messy and I couldn't bend down easily to clean it myself. Yes, hormones are at full capacity, haha. After doing a bit of sewing, I went to have a nap and fell asleep only for Ken to wake me up just before 6pm. Ack! So much for making dinner, so we got cheap pizza and my chicken will have to wait for tomorrow. Ok, Ken and Ariel went to visit with Pastor Dave tonight, he has some film clips he wanted to show him. So I am going to go enjoy the peace and quiet... ahh.

Canada Day and Anniversary Recap

So on Tuesday we celebrated our 8th anniversary, wow. Can't believe we will be at 10 years so soon, and hope to do something more exciting than this year, haha. Yes, the morning started with a doctor's appointment. It was the only day they could get me in, so our plans of going across the boarder were changed to a later date, oh well. The appointment was good, Xander kept running from the doppler, much like his sister use to. My blood pressure continues to be fabulous! AMEN! I am measuring slightly ahead... so we shall see how things go. Another big baby... maybe its time to start taking guesses on weight? Hehe.

After the appointment, the 3 of us headed to the mall where I wanted to pick up the last few things I needed for the nursery. Changing pad covers, hangers (blue ones this time - hee) and more diapers before my coupons expired the next day. They happened to have a train set up so Ariel and Ken took a ride. I only had my cel phone with me, so I snapped a picture, not the greatest but oh well.


Came home and I was really zonked. I rested the rest of the afternoon while Ken animated and Ariel played. When dinner time rolled around, I was really not interested in going anywhere, so we ordered take out from the Boot. Yummy! It wasn't the most romantic day, but as long as we are together, its perfect to me.

The following day was Canada Day! Ariel was eager to get to the pancake breakfast, so she wasn't in a picture taking mode, haha.


I did get one nice one, Canada is number one! Woot!


Breakfast was yummy and Ariel gobbled it up.


Then Daddy and Ariel had a dance together, so cute.


Watching the big Canada flag cake get the last few final touches.


Ariel probably had 2 pieces of cake after eating everyone's leftovers after finishing her slice, soooooooooo good. I always look forward to the cake every year.


After the festivities, Ariel told us 'that was the best party ever.' Haha. We went over to Dad and Rita's for hot dogs and a chance for the girls to play. We didn't have Ariel's swimsuit (and she REFUSED to just go in her underwear, haha) but Katie managed to dig up one of her baby suits. Can you say 80's! Haha.


The pool proved to be a little snug for 4 girls...


... but the sprinkler worked well.


We came home again for another lazy night. I was zonked again and went up to bed to rest. I watched the Iron Chef marathon I taped earlier, haha. I managed to get a fairly good sleep, although I was up who knows how many times to go to the bathroom, ugh.

Today, Ken is back at work for 2 days until the weekend. We are excited the 4th of July is on a Saturday this year, and we can actually celebrate. Usually I just make a dessert, which is fine, but it be nice to do something more so Ariel can experience her Daddy's holiday too.

Haven't decided what is happening today yet... not much I hope since I am still really tired and its getting hot again. Ugh. Guess we shall see what happens. Bye for now!