NA NA NA NA NA

Pretty sure I am going to win the $20 million LottoMax Jackpot on Friday....just throwing it out there.

Went for Lucas' 1 year checkup yesterday. After waiting for almost an hour (when I clearly had an appointment) we finally saw the doctor. Poor guy had to get 4, yes 4, needles. 3 of the normal 1 year immunizations and a seasonal flu shot. That is one needle per limb. After the second needle Lucas was screaming "NA NA NA NA NA NA" at the top of his lungs, which was kind of a funny cry, but I still felt so bad for him. Don't think he was traumatized by the whole ordeal. After lunch and a solid nap, good as new.

We may or may not have stopped at McDonalds when we were at Walmart that afternoon for some ice cream, just in case he was still feeling bad because of his needles. McDonalds inside Walmart is a hilarious place. I mean the people that eat there are pretty hilarious. I won't go into detail, but lets just say that I am pretty sure the people that eat there do so on a regular basis, like every time they go to Walmart to pick up a new wardrobe. Geez Amber so judgmental. Yes, yes I am. I am allowed to judge because I was looking super glam in my jeans and bunnyhug.

Speaking of looks, I look extra fab today with my quasimodo eye. My skin has been breaking out lately (must be all of the stress of staying home and trying to enjoy my last few weeks of mat leave) so I used this benzoyl peroxide lotion on my face. It has been forever since I have used something like that and I seem to have forgotten that I am allergic to benzoyl peroxide. Woke up with my right eye swollen almost shut. Yep, just the one eye. Looks hot. Every time I blink it is a struggle to open my eye again because my eyelid is all huge. Awesome.

Christmas baking I want to do:

Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes
Gingerbread Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream
Snowflake Cupcakes
Gingersnaps
Biscotti (so excited to try this one, biscotti is my new favourite food)
Peppermint Brownies
Sugar Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies (you know, the peanut butter cookies with a chocolate kiss on top? mmmmmmm)
Peppermint Marshmallows

That is a lot of baking. Two problems: 1) Going back to work is definitely going to cut into my baking time. 2) Avoiding temptation after all of the baking is done and my freezer is filled with sweets.

Back to work so soon?

Totally slacking on my blog. My maternity leave with Lucas is slowly coming to an end. A friend on my soccer team asked me when I am going back to work and I replied with "The end of the month....booooooo...." Her: "Oh are you not ready to go back to work or are you just sad to leave Lucas at daycare". Which got me thinking that it is actually neither. I am ready to go back to work, strangely enough I miss it. I never thought in a million years I would say that but then again I have never gone this long without working or being in school. In a perfect world I would probably only work 3 days a week, but that is just not reality. As for daycare, I think it will be great for Lucas to go and play with some other kids and get some time away from me. He is a pretty clingy baby, which I am not sorry to say I have totally enabled up until now. Daycare for 5 days a week is a little much, but again, not living in a perfect world. He'll do great, I know it.

Again, I can't sleep because I am thinking about cupcakes. Lucas' birthday cupcakes to be exact. I am not doing anything extravagant or over the top, but I am stressing about them because they are for Lucas. I make so many cupcakes for no reason at all, and this time they are for a very special reason so I want them to be right. Not that he will notice!! But I want them to be great. I may or may not have spent the last hour scouring Flickr for cupcake inspiration. There are some amazing cupcakeries out there. But they have a whole bakery at their disposal!! I just have me and my oven.

I hit a little personal bump in the road last week, nothing major, just something I had my heart set on didn't quite work out. I was so so so disappointed for about a day. I had to remind myself that I have many, many amazing people and things going on in my life and I am extremely fortunate. A job I want to go back to, a healthy and happy baby, an amazing husband and wonderful family and friends, just to mention a few. Picture: What I am most grateful for.

H1N1

This morning Lucas and I braved the madness and joined the caravan of MV's (minivans....duh....) and headed out to Prarieland to get his H1N1 immunization. Picture is the line ahead of me when I got there and the line behind me that formed was even worse. I knew it was going to be a crazy madhouse, but I was pleasantly surprised that it went so smoothly. I mean as smoothy as a 3 hour process to get a needle can go. We got there around 830ish and there was already a line about 200 people long. THERE WERE PEOPLE THERE AT 4:30 AM!!! Seriously....don't people work? I don't right now but I'm pretty sure not all of those people are on mat leave.

I thought I was so organized, had everything ready the night before, had my little guy bundled up and ready to wait in the cold, stroller loaded up and ready to go. Get to the back of the line and strike up a conversation with the guy behind me, who is waiting by himself so his wife can bring his kids later. I see his Tim Horton's cup and suddenly realize......I LEFT MY STEAMING PERFECT TIM HORTONS COFFEE IN THE VAN. Uggggggggggghhhhhh. I tell him this and he offers to hold my spot in line while I go grab my coffee. He clearly understands what a huge deal it is not to have your morning coffee while standing in the cold. I asked him if he minded watching Lucas while I SPRINTED to the van to get my coffee. That's right.....I left my son with a perfect stranger. Mom I hope you're not horrified right now. Dudes he was a Dad, and there were nothing but parents around. Gone for 2 seconds and back in a flash, no harm done. Not something I am going to make a habit of don't worry. I got to repay the favour when his wife came, holding his spot in line while he went to meet her and park the car. Just an example of the camaraderie (had to spell check that one) you develop with other parents while waiting in line for something like this. We waited about 45 minutes outside and then I don't know how long inside, but it didn't seem that long. Lucas was such a brave little guy and only cried a little. And he didn't even fuss the whole time we were waiting which was surprising since he was falling asleep when we pulled in. Ahhhh glad to have it done. Got some groceries this afternoon and picked up some ice cream for Lucas for being such a brave guy. Just for Lucas of course....I think his favourite flavour is mint chocolate chip....

If I was 12 I would totally have a crush on Justin Bieber. I bet he is OWNING those Tiger Beat and Bop magazines. Does Tiger Beat even exist anymore?

Daba Daba

Lucas and I took a walk to the mall (maybe to buy some cupcake related items...more on that later...) and to Tim Hortons (obviously....I don't even go out anymore without going there....How do moms who don't drink coffee survive?) this morning.

This has become a regular event, and since Lucas is such a good shopper most of the time, I treat him to a Timbit on our way home. Terry found out about this little habit and asked me if I buy Lucas a Timbit every time I stop at Tim Hortons. Pffftttt not every time Terry that would be ridiculous.....it's more like every second time. Whatever, it's more like 1/2 a Timbit anyway because he never eats the whole thing. Terry was concerned I am pushing my Tims habit onto Lucas. Nothing to worry about Terry, we met a baby today who must spend waaay more time there than we do. This mom and her kid (who was 2 at the most) came up behind me at the till and all the kid said the whole time they were there is 'daba daba'. DOUBLE DOUBLE!!! I asked his mom if that's what he was saying and sure enough that is what she orders all the time so he picked it up. Hilarious.....Now I just have to teach Lucas '1/2 hot chocolate'.

Stopped at the park on the way home....figured the swings were a much better treat for Lucas than a Timbit. One of the last days for the swings I think. Video taken with my phone....unbelievable that you can take videos like that with a phone. Please ignore my baby voice/noises.




Dudes I am obsessed with cupcakes. I have cupcake insomnia. I think about cupcake ideas before I go to bed. A friend of mine asked me if I would like to make cupcakes for her daughter's first birthday, my first paying cupcake job! So now I constantly think of things to do for her cupcakes, and what I am going to do for Lucas' birthday cupcakes, and I still want to make maple fall cupcakes but I am running out of fall-time, and then Christmas is coming up so I want to make some winter/Christmas ones......you can see how this might get out of control and keep me up at night.

I made my own fondant the other night. I have never worked with fondant before so I thought I would give it a try, but it is so expensive to buy. It turned out great, wasn't that hard really, and I am so excited to make fondant tops for my cupcakes and little things to put on them.

I ordered cupcake liners and other awesome things from etsy yesterday. I had to use an extreme amount of self control to not order everything I saw from this cupcake shop..... or this could turn into a semi-expensive hobby. I think Terry would rather me develop hobbies that make money rather than cost money....just a guess.

Items I covet at this moment:

Just in case you wanted to get me a super expensive gift for no reason.....

How cute would this dress look with black tights and black heels?? CUTE.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28989964

Some black heels to go with said dress:
http://www.aldoshoes.com/ca-eng/women/pumps/platform/75464846-ledec/95

New Uggs...almost a necessity for Saskatchewan winters:
http://www.uggaustralia.com/ProductDetails.aspx?gID=w&productID=5825&model=Classic+Short

I want these!!!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32942968&ref=cat3_list_14

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33106723&ref=sr_list_3&&ga_search_query=teapot&ga_search_type=category&category=vintage.housewares.ceramic&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

Cupcake bender....WARNING...pictures look delicious.

Enough about soccer. CUPCAKES!!!!

I went on a cupcake baking bender last week. A good way to deal with my post-nationals depression.....as long as I don't get too depressed and end up eating them all. Pumpkin Spice with Cream Cheese Buttercream, Chocolate with Mocha Buttercream and Cookies n' Cream.

To be sung to the tune of Natasha Beddingfield's Pocket Full of Sunshine: (which I hate)

I gotta freezer gotta freezer full of cupcakes, I gotta freezer gotta freezer full of cupcakes I gotta freezer gotta freezer full of cupcakes whooooooooooaaa ohh ohh ohhhhhhhhhhhh.

Take them away! Oh sweet escape! Take them away! Oh sweet escape!

Anyway, I love baking cupcakes. Not just the finished product but I actually LOVE the process. Such....a.....loser.

The only thing on my Christmas list this year is this:

http://www.kitchenaid.ca/flash.cmd?/#/en/product/KSM150PSER/

It is absurd that I bake so many cupcakes and don't own one already. I think I may have to purchase it myself and put it under the tree from Santa though.....it might be out of the Christmas budget and it is definitely out of the maternity leave budget. I should have put it on my wedding registry when I got married but I didn't know then that I would become a cupcake fiend.

Sorry blog...

It's been a while.

I have kind of been in a funk in the past week. Most likely due to soccer withdrawal and nationals disappointment. All I have wanted to do is lay on the couch and watch TV. So now that I have caught up on all my shows, I need to find something else to fill my time. I mean Lucas takes up a lot of it, but he also naps lots too.

We came in 4th at nationals, which was kind of bittersweet. A blizzard decided to move in that weekend, and our team was kind of pumped about it. We usually have an advantage over other teams in crazy weather, but apparently playing in a blizzard can be dangerous or something (icy field, zero visibility, white ball to match the snow....I fail to see the problem....). So thankfully as it turns out, we headed indoors on the turf field all weekend. Which turned out to be great because the games then were shortened to 60 minutes instead of the usual 90....we would have died playing four 90 minute games in four days.....and also we had way more fans out than if it would have been outside. First game against BC we played really well and ended up tieing them 0-0. Could have won that one, lost opportunites, etc. Second game we beat Ontario 1-0. That was huge. No Saskatchewan team has EVER beat Ontario in a national competition. HUGE. I remember playing provincial team back when I was younger....in my prime....just kidding I don't think I had a prime....and we would lose upwards of 8-0 to Ontario. So a huge accomplishment. All we had to do was beat Manitoba to move on to the final. THE FINAL. Toba? Should be no problem. Too bad they were playing a flat back 11. For you non-soccer types, that means they pretty much sat back and defended all game so we couldn't penetrate into their half, got a few breaks on us and scored 2 goals to win the game 2-0. Soooooooooo disappointing for us. But alright, bronze medal game against Nova Scotia, as long as we come out with a medal that would be more than a Saskatchewan team has ever accomplished. Lost 1-0 to Scotia. Terrible.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiigggggggggggggggghhhhhhh.

The good news is I now don't have to get up at 5 am to train and the bad news is I no longer have to get up at 5 am to train and play soccer with my friends. Soccer withdrawal. When does indoor start?????

SICK!

Terry and I keep saying how lucky we are to have such a healthy, happy baby. Why just yesterday I told Terry how glad I was that Lucas hasn't really been sick yet. I think I forgot to knock on wood because last night all that changed. Three baths, four pairs of pyjamas, a lot of tears (mine) and three sheet changes later and I think we might be through the woods.

Lucas had some salmon, rice and peas for supper, same as Terry and I, which he has had before but this time I guess it didn't agree with him. He went to bed fine as always and then I heard him stirring a bit before we went to bed. I peeked in his room to check on him before I went to sleep and found him on his belly, covered in puke. Gross!! Ahhhh!! So Terry and I stripped the bed, gave him a bath and changed his pyjamas. He seemed to be his normal, happy self through all of it....and kept looking at us like "What is the big deal? Why do I get to be up so late? This is fun!" Not fun Lucas.

And then he did that 3 more times before finally falling asleep. It was so so so hard to see him sick. He's so helpless and innocent and has no idea what's going on and all you want is for him to stop throwing up and feel better and have a good sleep. I was so upset seeing him like that. It's funny how you think you know how you will react to a certain situation and then when it actually happens your reaction is the complete opposite of what you thought. I am finding that especially true with Lucas, and that I am not nearly as tough as I think I am. A big wuss inside apparently. I know kids get sick, it's inevitable, it happens. I thought that when the time came and Lucas wasn't feeling well I would have been able to deal with it a lot better. Just wasn't the case last night. Just like his immunizations, I thought I was Ms. Tough Guy....nope....to borrow a nickname from one of my soccer friends, really I am "Little Miss Sissy Puss". Quote.

Thank goodness it was just something he ate (I think and hope) because he seems to be feeling good today, just super tired from wretching and being up all night I bet. Normal happy Lucas is the best kind. Proof is in the photo I took after his 3rd bath in 24 hours (this morning).

Mrs. No Fun - Playground Adventures #2

Lucas and I stopped by the park today for a quick swing before going to get a few groceries. It was lunchtime at school so the playground was kind of busy with kids, but Lucas likes that so no worries. Some older girls were swinging on the swings beside us when this teacher came marching over and yelled "ONLY KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE FOUR ON THE SWINGS, HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO MAKE THAT CLEAR?!?!".

It's not like anyone else was waiting to use the swings, and you could tell by the way she talked to the kids that she is one of those teachers who likes to tell kids what to do and be in control and bossy. So these girls got off the swings and went and played in the shade. They were making a human pyramid (fun!) and again the teacher marches over and tells them that what they are doing is too dangerous. OK lady, there were only like 5 girls, so this pyramid is nowhere near too tall. Sheesh. I get it that kids need to be safe on the playground and that is why there is a teacher there but let them have a bit of fun. Geez. She was walking by me as I pushed Lucas on the swing and I was afraid she was going to tell me that Lucas was too little, only kindergarten to grade four on the swings.

After the kids went inside this little boy came out of his house across the street in a Batman costume and was doing Batman moves all over the playground equipment. Hilarious. Lucas thought so too.

Two more weeks until nationals. Gulp. Crunch time. Kathryn and I did some sprints yesterday and just about died. Just wait until I have to do 10 sprints in a row with a BC striker breathing down my throat. Can't wait. All kidding aside, it will be awesome that week playing at such a competitive level again, I missed it and I didn't know how much. All the training that comes along with it though, I definitely didn't miss. Come out and see us play:

Thursday October 8th vs. Ontario 6 pm @ Umea E
Friday October 9th vs. BC 4 pm @ Umea W
Sunday October 11th vs. Manitoba 4 pm @ Sasktel E

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I may be trying to do too much....

and it is starting to catch up with me.

Turns out training and practicing for nationals takes up a lot of time. And a lot of that time is time I could be sleeping. It also doesn't help that Lucas is no longer sleeping through the night. We are trying to do a bit of sleep training with him, but I am not doing a good job at this either. He gets up at 3:30 and I know that if I just feed him he will go back to bed, but therein lies the problem. I have to stop feeding him at night so that he knows there is nothing to eat at night time and night time is for sleeping. But that's hard to remember when it is 4:00 am and there is no sign of him going back to sleep or settling down and I have to be up in an hour for practice. You can see how I might be tempted to just feed him and go back to sleep.

Lack of sleep puts me on edge. Things that normally wouldn't bother me drive me crazy. It's not like I haven't gone without sleep before, but this is going on a bit long and I thought that maybe there was hope of me sleeping again by now. When Lucas was very little getting no sleep didn't really bother me because I think that's what I expected. Now that I expect him to sleep I'm finding it really hard when he doesn't.

OK...to remedy this situation I should sleep when I can during the day and forget that my house is slowly turning into a disaster zone. It would also help if I didn't have to shower but then I think I would have a whole new set of problems. Maybe being on the computer a bit less wouldn't hurt either....

Time for a nap.

Fun at the park.

Do I have enough time to blog and then shower while Lucas is napping? Let's find out.....

Lucas new favorite activity is the swings at the park. Last week we were out garage sale-ing (scoring some great deals!) I spotted a baby swing at a park in Erindale and stopped to give Lucas a bit of a break from the car. It was about 5 minutes to noon, and I totally forgot that school was back in session. The noon bell rang shortly after and a ton of kids burst out of the school doors and came running for the playground. Eeep!

Lucas loved it though, he loves watching kids play at the park. When he had enough of the swing I took him out and we sat on a bench and just watched the kids. These two little grade 2 girls came over and sat right beside us. Hilarity ensued:

Girl: Your baby is cute.

Me: Thank you, he really likes the park.

Girl: My mom's cousin's wife has a baby. He is a boy too but they thought he was going to be a girl but then he was a boy.

Me: Oh? I thought he was going to be a girl too, but nope, he's a boy.

Girl: He looks like a girl. Just his face though.

Hahaha kids are awesome. She told me more stuff about her mom's cousin's wife's baby and how she likes to see all her friends and school and then they had to go to go see another friend. Bye girls.

I kind of felt like a creep just sitting on a park bench watching the kids play, but I had Lucas with me so the teachers didn't think I was a total weirdo.

Went out on the greatest date Saturday night. Supper at The Ivy, (500) Days of Summer, fireworks at River Landing, and to top it off a rickshaw ride back to our car. I have never had a bad meal at The Ivy and it definitely didn't disappoint this time, and I would highly suggest (500) Days of Summer...I want to see it again in fact. Dates are awesome, that should be a weekly event. Maybe monthly is more realistic.

Doctor, Doctor gimmie the news

I hate that song.

Lucas and I went for his 9 month check up today. No needles this time so no reason to be anxious. Lucas hasn't gained much weight since last time, which I guess is normal for breastfed babies. The good news is we got the go-ahead to feed Lucas all he likes. I brought up the fact that I was worried about him overeating sometimes, because he never really seems to get full and eats a lot of food for a 9-month old. But apparently he can eat and eat and eat and that's A-OK. As long as he's not spitting it all up mind you, but that has never happened. License to get chubby.

Next time someone I know is pregnant/has a baby, I will be purchasing the book "The Yummy Mummy Manifesto" for them. It is written by an older (40-is?) bohemian-hippie-type mom with a lot of good advice. It is very well written with short little chapters and I have almost read it from cover to cover. It talks about everything from not worrying about the state of your house or the mini-tantrum your child is throwing in public, to the isolation that comes with being at home all day and the resentment that is felt between partners over the sharing of housework/parenting. While I think some of her ideas are a little too hippie-ish for me (she doesn't let any toys into her house that light up or sing the alphabet.....both features on Lucas' new favorite toy, his activity table), most chapters were a great read and very informative and enlightening.

Went for our daily trip to the park and swings this afternoon. Lucas still finds the swings just as exciting and fun as the day before and he loves watching the other kids play in the park. The only thing about the park is that it doesn't take long enough so the afternoons lately are beginning to drag. So we extended our trip today with a stop for a slurpee and a stroll through the mall. Turned out to be a 2 hour outing and Lucas lasted the whole time. He was great today. He is great all days, I guess I should say he was very well behaved today.

Lucas and I have been watching Sesame Street in the mornings and I find it very funny. This probably means I am slowly going crazy....

On a completely unrelated note, I want to make my house look much more stylish but I do not have the funds to do so. I would love to be able to collect vintage teapots, pottery and enamelware to sit on my kitchen shelves, or an amazing wood desk for my computer with lots of drawers for electronic junk. Terry and I have taken to creating our own works of art to hang on our walls, which is fine for small bedroom and bathroom prints, but I would love to purchase a few large prints from an actual artist or photographer. I saw some beautiful prints on canvas by this dude at a craft fair at River Landing this summer that I loved:

http://www.extraordinarylight.com/gallerylinks/Scenic.htm

Again, art is expensive and totally not a necessity right now. Also, our bathroom upstairs is an ugly shade of yellowish-cream and in need of a mini-makeover. I want to do a lavender/chocolate brown/cream palette but I am scared to paint the walls light purple. Purple walls? I don't know if that is going to work and I am no interior designer. Might just go for it and see what happens.

Back to work in three short months....eeeep!

Ahhh the 3 hour nap

I was cursing life when I got up this morning....so incredibly tired...and vowed that I was going to have the most fantastic nap this afternoon during Lucas' nap. Well I am too excited/nervous for my soccer game to nap so I got a lot of stuff done instead.

I was outside weeding the garden (don't worry I wore sunscreen and appropriate clothing this time!) and then came inside to get my soccer stuff together and relax. I even had time to give myself a soccer pedicure (nails cut as short as possible, holding on to each callus for dear life to protect my feet, and a coat of polish to cover up my uggggly big toenails that have fallen out too many times from soccer) oh and of course shave my legs....you know...so that I am faster on the field. Riggght....

And now I even have time to blog!! 3 hour naps are the best.

Lucas is an eating machine. We picked up his Grandma this morning and went to Wal Mart and then McDonald's for lunch to try their new salads (very yummy). My mom convinced me to order a hamburger for Lucas. Funniest thing ever. He must have heard me when I said that we won't be coming to McDonalds too often and he probably won't come back for a long time. He gobble-gobbled up almost the whole burger. What a little porker. All the excitement/eating must have tired him out.

I must admit that when Lucas wakes me up at 630 am and has been up 3 times that night, when I go to pick him up I am thinking "Lucas we are totally not buddies right now do not even try to look all cute at me". It takes me until I am eating breakfast and he is looking up at me with his new crinkly-nose smile and then we are buddies again. I'm sure babies have built in cuteness as a survival feature. That and the fact that they need more sleep than their parents.....keeps everyone from going crazy.

I am reading this book that I got from the library (Terry must be rubbing off on me, I haven't borrowed a book from the library since I was in elementary school) called 'The Yummy Mummy Manifesto' that I would highly recommend to anyone who is expecting or recently had a baby. It would make a really nice gift. It's kind of an advice-type book but with a very laid back approach.

Soccer!

Things are starting to get a bit crazy around here. Soccer is really starting to take over my life right now. Provincials are coming up this weekend so our team is gearing up for that. We have to win provincials in order to compete in nationals which Saskatoon is hosting this Thanksgiving. We should win with no problem, but there is always that added stress/pressure just in case we don't.

My body is not what it used to be. I blame Lucas. I hurt in places that I never hurt before. But at the same time it is awesome playing really competitively again. I forgot how much I love it. I am playing an entirely new position so my head has to be on a swivel at every moment or else I will be in big trouble. Soccer soccer soccer. I think about the mistakes I make in our games before I go to bed. Consuming my brain right now.

Lucas just fell asleep for his morning nap on his own, no feeding or crying. Wahoo!!! I used to be really good about putting him down this way, but kind of got into a bad habit of always feeding him before he went to sleep. Which totally worked to put him to bed, but I was starting to worry that he was becoming dependent on it to sleep. Got to get back into good habits or else. Or else what you ask? Or else I might be up 3 times a night for the rest of eternity. Had one night like that this past week and that was enough.

Lucas is totally not interested in learning to crawl. He sees a toy out of his reach and then goes for something closer. Oh well, the less moving the less chance of him hurting himself. Soon enough he'll be motoring all over causing all kinds of trouble. Off to shower while Lucas is napping and hopefully blow dry my hair for the first time in about a week. What a treat to be able to get ready uninterrupted. Picture of Lucas watching Sesame Street.

Summer Holidays

I have heard that in order to write a "successful" blog you should stick to one topic and make frequent, brief and well-written entries. My last entry was probably over two weeks ago, I blog about lots of things and I did not take journalism/web publishing in school. Turns out I am doomed to be a blog failure.

Alas....

I finally feel like I am on holidays. I know, I have been on holidays for about 8 months now, but these past couple of weeks finally feel like mat leave should. Maybe because Terry was on holidays to enjoy some time off together, or maybe because the weather is finally awesome. For the first week of Terry's holidays he was crazy busy painting the interior of our house, something that was long overdue. It looks amazing, what a difference paint makes. So much work for one person though, poor Terry.

Then we headed to Calgary for our "summer vacation" to visit Terry's brother and his wife. Vacations with babies are stressful. Especially teething ones. At least Lucas cut his second tooth, so we have something to show for those couple of days of crankiness. This was around about the time that Lucas also turned into a big suck. He screamed whenever I would try to hand him off to someone else and is starting to turn into quite the mama's-boy. It was cute for probably the first two times, but now I just want a minute to maybe eat some supper or get dressed.

I never know what to do when someone else is holding him and he starts to fuss. Do I offer to take him back because no one probably wants to hold a crying baby? Or does that seem like 'ok give me my baby back now, you clearly have no idea what you're doing'? I was explaining to Terry one day that hearing Lucas cry makes me feel like someone is running their fingernails down a chalkboard inside me and all I want is for him to stop. I am a bundle of nerves inside until he calms down. And he doesn't even cry that much or that loudly, so I'm not sure why I feel that way. Must be an instinct or something.

The highlight of our Calgary trip for me, was pushing Lucas in the baby swing at the park. He loved loved loved it. So funny. I guess that is one of the joys of having kids, seeing how something so simple can make them so happy.

Amy is here visiting for a week, which is super awesome and another reason why I feel like I'm on holidays. Lots of visiting and family. My Grandpa's 90th birthday was this past weekend and my Mom's whole family came home for it. It was so great to see everyone and we had a lot of fun in Harris at the party. Going back to Harris brought back a lot of childhood memories of visiting Grandma and Grandpa Stevens. Grandma would always slip us some money and tell us to go down to the cafe for some fries and a Tahiti Treat. And I remember Grandpa taking us for rides in the truck through the sandhills at dusk to see the whitetail deer. I probably won't be back again for a long time, if ever.

Oot and Aboot

Babies draw a lot of attention. I went to the movie store, the grocery store and Winners today and someone stopped me at least once in each store to talk to Lucas and ask questions about him. Weird. Most people are really nice, others....over the line. No touching please. And I'm running out of small talk to make with strangers and it's getting awkward.

I love people watching. Especially commenting in my head on what people are wearing. Most of the time the outfits I see/notice warrant only negative comments, but I saw some really nicely dressed girls at Winners today looking very pulled together. One girl had white bermuda shorts with a sheer-ish print blouse and was carrying an awesome green purse. The other girl had nice jeans with heels and a cool print shirt, also carrying a nice bag.

I on the other hand....looked like a complete scrub due to the fact that I had soccer last night, therefore went to bed with wet hair after my shower, which makes me look like Medusa in the morning. I could shower again and actually look presentable, but just for a trip to the grocery store and Winners? Waaaaay too much effort. Especially when I have to set Lucas in his exersaucer and entertain him the whole time I am getting ready. My fab outfit consisted of a tank top, Lulu shorts, flip-flops and a diaper bag. Uber-glamorous.

If I had nothing to do I would sit at random locations in Saskatoon, take pictures of people and their outfits with my phone, and post them on some website with comments. I'm pretty sure Andy would be the only one that would read them, as this used to be a favourite pasttime of ours in University. Sitting in the tunnel or Lower Place and describing what people were wearing as they walked past in a notebook, which was passed on to the other person to do the same. Good times.

$$$$$

How great would it be to receive a huge windfall of money? Not only would you get to buy a bunch of cool stuff, you would never have to worry about spending too much money on groceries again. It is a well known fact that I hate budgeting of any kind, and I know that you would still have to have somewhat of a budget even if you had lots of money, but I have a feeling it would be a lot more fun.

I think about this way too much. pretty much every time I pull out my debit card. I hear that there is never enough money, no matter how much you make. The more you make the more you spend. I'm sure there comes a point though when you just have so much that you don't worry about it anymore, and that I will probably never reach that point so I should stop dreaming that I will!

Cupcake obsessed

I have recently been bitten by the baking bug. More specifically, the cupcake bug. I honestly have been having trouble sleeping at night because I am thinking about what kind of cupcakes to make next. I am probably the coolest.

Today I went in search of more fun cupcake supplies. But I promised myself no more baking until I get my house looking less like a laundry hurricane tore through it. So who knows how long that will take, my cupcakes will have to wait.

Found some pretty cool stuff at the Wedding and Party Boutique, Michaels and Walmart. Walmart, as always, is so annoying. It was our last stop and by this time Lucas was getting really tired and grumpy, ready to go home and have another nap. Lucky me, I happen to get behind the most annoying man and his son in line. This guy is talking on his phone to his wife jibber-jabbering about how his son thinks Hannah Montana is prettier than her and blah blah blah.....GET OFF YOUR PHONE AND MOVE AHEAD IN LINE. My fuse was pretty short by this time due to Lucas' fussiness. This guy's son was tearing all over the place, almost ran right into my stroller. This kid told me Lucas was crying because he saw a balloon and wanted me to buy it for him. Don't think so little kid, but thanks for the tip. Tip #2 from little kid: Don't buy my baby Pokemon cards because they have nicotine in them. What?!?!? You're like 9....how do you even know what nicotine is and why would Pokemon cards have nicotine in them?

Oh also, this guy and his son were buying fake Crocs that they were WEARING out of the store, so they had to take them off of their (probably stinky) feet to get the cashier to scan them. Poor cashier. People are ridiculous.

How sad was MJ's memorial yesterday??? I thought it was going to be dumb and cheesy but it was actually really well done. His kids are really good looking. Andy tells me that they are not biologically his or that Debbie lady's. Just randoms. I actually cried at the end of the service. What a loser.

Wine Thursday tomorrow....danger. Wine Thursday is a soccer girl wedding tradition in which we go to Moxies the Thursday before the wedding (in this case, Jenine's) and have a nice classy evening. That's always the plan anyway, we'll see how it pans out. Could get out of control really fast.

Does anyone even read my blog? Just checking....

Kijiji

In the past month or so, I have made upwards of 500 bucks in stuff I have sold on Kijiji. Not any big ticket items either. I think the most expensive thing I sold was a baby swing for the 75 bucks I paid for it. Lots of old Lululemon stuff and brand name clothes that I will never wear again. My new favourite pastime is scouring the house for things I don't use that would sell well on Kijiji. For anyone who has been living under a rock, Kijiji is a local buy and sell website which is very popular in Saskatoon. Awesome for baby and kids stuff, most of it is barely used and about half the price. I highly suggest this for anyone on maternity leave and on a tight budget!

I have used my Kijiji money to buy more stuff. But new things that I actually want. Like my iPhone.....amazing. I stood in line on Friday morning with 4 phone geeks to get it. They were chatting to each other about how they were "so ready to upgrade from their current iPhone" and some other technical mumbo-jumbo that was waaay over my head. Phone geeks....sheesh. The only reason that I figured I should probably jump on the bandwagon is that my contract just ran out with Telus. I learned my lesson when signing into a 3 year contract to get the best phone possible. My old phone was being held together with hockey tape and would only send texts to certain people so it was definitely time for an upgrade. I have just started to scratch the surface when it comes to buying apps for my phone and learning everything that it can do.

My other new favourite thing is Google reader. I could spend hours on the computer subscribing to different news feeds and getting caught up with the latest. Again, for anyone living under a rock, it puts all of your websites in one place. That is a very poor description so you should check it out for yourself. Go to Google and at the top where it says more, go to Reader. I highly suggest subscribing to the Staff Picks, WebUrbanist, Pink is the new Blog (Celebrity news) and local stuff like CBC and the Star Phoenix. My newest subscription is a blog called Bakerella, a girl who makes really awesome cupcakes, cakes, etc. Here is a link to my shared site, where I can share awesome stuff I find with my Facebook friends, etc:

http://www.google.ca/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=wy#stream/user%2F03719890694146056222%2Fstate%2Fcom.google%2Fbroadcast


Well just got a call from another Kijijier coming to look at one of my items. That's all for now.

Words of Fashion Wisdom

Do people not look in the mirror before they leave the house? I mean, I know I don't look all put-together and supermodel-ish ALL the time (ha ha or never....) but I think half of Saskatoon doesn't own a mirror. Some words of advice from a fashion guru:

1. If you think your pants are too tight, they probably are.

2. No see-thru things please. Thank you. No one wants to see that.

3. Maybe you should think about cutting your hair if you are over 40 and it is almost down to your waist. Just a suggestion.

4. Runners are for running.

5. Unless you are a pop star or in a bathing suit, no one's midriff should ever be showing. Ever.

6. Being a mom does not give you license to dress like a homeless person. Sorry. All we're asking for is maybe some jeans instead of your pyjama pants? (If your child is less than a few weeks old you are automatically exempt from all fashion faux-pas)

7. Overalls are for construction workers and babies.

That is all for now. Sadly I think there will be more to come in the future. Please stop assaulting my eyes with your grossness.

Baby proof

I had a dream last night that we were at one of my relatives' houses for a BBQ and I was outside and someone was watching Lucas inside. And then I heard a bunch of thumping and my mom told me Lucas fell down the stairs. I honestly woke up in physical pain, my hands and feet were aching and I had to get up and check if he was OK. Worst dream ever.

Maybe my dream was telling me in a not so subtle way that we need to start baby-proofing. I know my mom is worried about all of the stairs in our house. Terry is building his own baby gate, which I am highly skeptical about, but we will see how it turns out. I told him if it looks even slightly less safe/convenient than one you can buy, it is not allowed in the house.

Family supper last night with some other little ones. One of my cousins has a little guy almost 3 months older than Lucas so it is fun to watch him to see what Lucas will be up to very soon. Sticking his fingers in the central vac and what not. Super.

Rain sucks. Boot camp this morning was brutal. I think our trainers didn't want to get wet with the little sprinkling of rain that was happening. It's not like it was pouring. So we had to stay under the tiny area of shelter at Kinsmen Park and do useless, repetitive things. Girl trainers are wimps.

I have mom insomnia.

I am absolutely exhausted. I have been having nightmares about bad guys and spiders (seriously... last night it was a robot-type spider that wove a very intricate web at the bottom of my closet shaped like a bridge) lately and I have not had a good night's sleep in a while. Also....and this is the case tonight...I go to sleep worrying about Lucas and I can't stop thinking.

It is 12:07 and I am lying in bed mentally going through the rooms of my house and making a mental checklist of all of the babyproofing that we have to do. And then I think I should maybe go check on him again just to make sure he isn't wedged up into a corner of his crib, or he has enough blankets. Even though I have checked on him 3 times since I went upstairs to bed. Is he getting enough sleep? Am I reading him enough stories? Feeding him the right foods? Too much foods / not enough breastfeeding? Not enough food / too much breastfeeding? Does he have enough toys and the right kind? Is he watching too much TV? Should I be playing more music for him and singing to him more? I could go on and on.

It is probably always like this for moms with kids of any age. Worry worry worry. All this stress is making me tired.

Once Upon A Child - My new favourite store.

Ahhhh Lucas has been napping for almost two hours. All of my hard work must be paying off. I don't think that's the case, I think today I just got lucky.

My mom and I went to Once Upon A Child today to look around. That store is awesome and I should have gone there way earlier. I have some stuff that I have never used/don't want and I think I will take it in tomorrow and see what they will give me for it.

Mom is coming over to babysit tonight after Lucas is in bed, so Terry and I can go out for a drink with some friends. Therefore, I have been frantically running around my house for the duration of Lucas' nap trying to make it even half as clean as my Mom's house. Not that she would care if my house is messy, but for some reason I really do. Especially if she is coming over. Must be a mother-daughter thing.

I think I am developing back problems from carrying around a 20 pound weight all day. Lucas gets weighed on Monday for his 6 month check up, so we'll see then how much he actually weighs. All I know is he feels heavy. He doesn't seem to be listening to me when I tell him to quit growing and stay little forever.

2nd last swimming lesson this morning. Lucas went under the water once again. He is a pro now. Could probably just drop him off at the pool for the afternoon and he would be OK. No? Not yet?

Pickled carrots are a delicious and healthy snack. Thanks Farmer's Market.

Mr. No Nap

This whole teaching Lucas to nap thing really sucks. Why can't you just give your kids everything they want and they still turn out to be perfectly behaved little angels and not spoiled brats. This is the first time of many I'm sure where doing the best thing for him is definitely not the easiest. The baby monitor is squeaking right now because he is protesting so loud. Ahhhhhhhh I hate hearing him cry. Five minutes, I can do it for five minutes. Maybe he will realize how tired he is and just drift off to peaceful sleep. Not likely.

This whole competition thing with being a new mom is driving me nuts. "So and so is rolling over/sitting up/has teeth/insert milestone here already, is Lucas doing that yet?" "Oh well I'm sure he will be soon, don't worry." Who cares if he is 5 months and 20 days or 6 months old when he sits up by himself for the first time? Does that mean he will be behind in life? Behind in school? I don't think so. So who cares. I really hope I don't ever inadvertently do that to someone. Because it really doesn't matter.

I can't take it anymore, Lucas wins today. And now he is happily jumping away in his Jolly Jumper. Best 40 bucks I've ever spent.

P.S. Everyone should watch Glee. It's a new show and it's good.

Thoughts of Lucas

Now that I am a mom part of my mind is always consumed by thoughts of Lucas. Lately I have been feeling like after I have a visit or conversation with someone, my mind wasn't fully there and I wasn't giving that person my undivided attention. If I have done this to you I apologize. I don't realize until many hours later. This was brought to my attention on the phone today with my Mom, when I couldn't recall an answer to a question that I had asked her. Who does that?? In my defense I was listening to Lucas wake up from his nap, and in the midst of going to check on him. What do you do when you have more kids? Does every kid take up part of your brain and then there are no parts left for other things?

I wonder if all Moms feel this way, or if it will be like this forever.

Things I covet right now:

http://www.aldoshoes.com/ca-eng/women/pumps/pointed-toe/67343024-atlanticcity/95

http://www.aldoshoes.com/ca-eng/women/pumps/pointed-toe/69710350-fritarr/6

http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/onlineProductDisplay.vs?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=CM-240710&page=1&cgname=OSSHUDTNZZZ&rfnbr=6255&atb=B

http://www.sam-sara.ca/product/kelowna-lg-pebble-wallet-plum-8248/

http://www.sam-sara.ca/product/halifax-pebble-handbag-plum-7990/

http://www.sam-sara.ca/shop/c-tote/co-black/

http://shop.lululemon.com/Clam_Digger_II/pd/np/570/p/1124.html

http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/onlineProductDisplay.vs?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=CM-210982&page=1&cgname=OSCLOALPZZZ&rfnbr=2419&atb=B

http://www.shopping.com/xPO-Puma-Puma-Women-s-v-Konstrukt-II-Gci-FG-Cleats

Terry is kicking me off the computer to do something much less important. Boooo. To be continued.....

Vengeance

The spider came back today....just the same as he did yesterday on Lucas' blanket. I was ready for him this time. He might have been moving a bit slower since the loss of his leg. I got him with my book and made sure he was dead. I am absolutely certain it was the same spider. YUCK.

SPIDER!!!

Lucas and I just had a very traumatic experience. I was playing with Lucas on the floor on his blanket when out of nowhere a spider comes crawling across towards us. AHHHHHH! I freaked out, froze for a second, and then scooped up Lucas whilst frantically trying to find something to kill it with. I had lots of Lucas toys but I didn't want to use those, so my coffee table PostSecret book seemed like a good spider-killer. Smashed the book down on the blanket and took a deep breath. Lucas was probably thinking "What in the blue blazes just happened? I must have been in very grave danger for Mom to freak out like that." Just wait until he's three and picking up spiders and worms and showing them to me....and then keeping them as pets. Can't wait.

So I called Terry to tell him about the spider and inquire about spider traps...which I am searching on the internet about right now. I don't want to hear about spiders biting me internet, just tell me what to do already!!! Now I feel like there are spiders crawling on me.....EEEEEEEEEEE! I guess I need some sort of sticky trap to catch them. I will get on that pronto.

So after I got off the phone with Terry I grabbed some kleenex to go get the spider, and I go to lift up the book off the blanket, AND THE SPIDER HAS ESCAPED!!!!!!! DISASTER!!!

SO NOW I KNOW THERE IS A SPIDER ROAMING AROUND IN HERE. Annoying. I think I might have got one of his legs with my book, so it is probably a seven-legged spider. Take that spider.

NKOTB

Andy miraculously got free tickets to the New Kids concert and asked me to go tonight. I didn't know if I was going to go or not, Lucas has been kind of fussy lately and is probably getting my cold, but he seemed to be better today so good thing I went.

We were a bit late and missed some of the Jabawockees....wish we would have seen the whole thing and I will definitely go see them if they ever come back to Saskatoon.

Hearing the New Kids brought me back to when I was probably about 8 or 9....listening to New Kids tapes in my pink and purple ghetto. I remember they sang Happy Birthday on one of their albums and I cried when I listened to it because I thought they were singing just for me. What a loser.

Every fan of the New Kids, or any boy band for that matter, always has a favourite. Mine was Johnathan. I even named my doll that I got for Christmas one year after him. He has shuffled down in the rankings after his performance tonight to dead last. He kind of faded into the background and didn't do much...didn't seem like he really wanted to be there. I'm sure all of the other New Kids were super psyched to be in Saskatoon though. I know Donnie was, he said Saskatoon a bunch of times. It must have been his job to memorize how to pronounce it and then say it lots to make us feel special. Joey, Jordan and Donnie were awesome. Highlights include Jordan Knight with a billowing white shirt being blown by fans onstage, then ripping his shirt open and stroking his body. Strange.....

I also could have done without all of the sentimental ballads. I don't remember any of those. And I could have definitely done without the video montage of "the ones we have lost" aka celebrities that have died. I doubt that the New Kids were close to Kurt Cobain, Biggie, Toupac or Heath Ledger. Very strange.....

Donnie Wahlberg got me thinking about Mark Whalberg which got me thinking about my top 5. The soccer girls have always had this thing where you make your list of top 5 celebrity guys. Mark Wahlberg is in my top 5. So is Jason Statham. Crank High Voltage comes out on April 17th......

River Run

Went for a run today with some hardcores. I didn't think I was ready for a 30 minute run yet but it wasn't so bad. Maybe it was and I have already forgotten. Having a baby does a number on your body and then from what I've heard it's never the same again. It felt like my leg bones were grinding against my pelvis about 10 minutes into the run. Google will hopefully tell me what to do about that. I will have to do that way more often if I am even going to have a hope for being in shape for outdoor, let alone nationals in the fall. It's going to be a battle.

New favourite song of the moment: The Best Day - Taylor Swift

Dancing with Lucas while he falls asleep on my shoulder is my new favourite thing. He is great.

Saskatoon is dirty

Went for an awesome walk today with Lucas. But before that I woke up at 5 am with an achy fevery cold. Awesome. I think the fresh air helped though. I just hope that Lucas doesn't get it, but the chances of him not getting it are probably slim. Watching movies with warm tea and staying home will hopefully be the cure.

Saskatoon is gross and dirty in April. Everything is muddy and dusty and gross. I didn't get attacked by a machete-wielding psycho on my walk so that's good news.

picture for today

first post

I should have started this long ago. I want to use this as a journal for myself to remember life with Lucas while he's little, but not all about Lucas, this is my blog not his. Now I am picturing him at a computer writing blog entries. Post #1: I have my mom and dad wrapped around my tiny finger. Post #2: I am totally going to explode through my diaper later and then again in the bathwater.

If no one reads this, good. If they do, whatevs. Something you should probably know before you start reading is that I get off topic....a lot. Just so you have fair warning.

Today was a great day. Lucas slept well again last night. He's starting to go to bed at 9 and up at 7. Fine by me. Gives me a little time to bug Terry in the evenings. I have it pretty good I know, a little guy who sleeps through the night and has since he was 2 months old. I am trying to savor it while I can, I hear that all of it could end in a heartbeat when he starts teething and what not. I don't do well without sleep, which I recall in the first two months of having a newborn was one of the hardest things to deal with. It puts you on edge...things that you would normally be able to handle no problem almost make you have a nervous breakdown when you are going on 3 hours of sleep.

Right, I was writing about my day.....got up, changed and fed Lucas, pumped a bottle. That's pretty much my morning routine these days. I also know I am very lucky in the fact that Lucas will take both bottle and breast, and has for some time. Gives me the freedom to actually leave the house and not have him attached to me at all times. Lets me enjoy some, but not all of course, of the things I liked to do by myself before I was a mom. Like play soccer. I have a playoff game tonight at 8. Really looking forward to it, as I do all of my soccer games. But tonight we play a good team, a rarity in our sad league, which is always more fun. Means I actually have to focus on what I should be doing out there, rather than goofing off and laughing about how a girl just toe-punted the ball by me and is now on a breakaway...but I know she won't score because she's brutal and Barb (our goalie) has got my back. Can't wait.

Again....supposed to be writing about my day. Showered and got ready, which is always a toss up if I am able to do it in a reasonable amount of time without Lucas wanting to be picked up and bounced around. How on earth am I ever going to do it when I have to go back to work? Good thing I won't have to answer that question until at least November. My parenting philosophy so far is if Lucas cries, pick him up and give him a hug. Do whatever he wants you to do. Obviously this is not going to fly once he gets older and starts to realize that he can use this to his advantage, but for now I think it's working. He seems to be a happy guy.

Had plans with mom today to go a few places. First stop, Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons is my salvation. My sister is going to hate me for saying this, but I just cannot make coffee up to my standards at home. I even have the Tim Hortons coffee and Tim Horton's hot chocolate (I like half and half most of the time) but it just doesn't measure up. Plus it's roll up the rim time and who can resist that. Even though yesterday was my first winning rim, I still have hope that I will roll my rim and there will be a car underneath. When I was in school I consumed a lot of coffee to keep me awake so I could study. I contemplated photocopying my degree and writing a letter on the back to Tim's for their help in obtaining it. Now I drink a lot of coffee to get me through the day when I have stayed up way too late trying to get a million things done while Lucas is sleeping. And by that I don't mean laundry and cleaning and things I should be doing, I mean reading Twilight and searching the internet for very important things like baby bunny ears and ridiculously expensive shoes that I can't afford and have nowhere to wear them.

Coffee then Walmart, Michaels and Safeway with mom. She is having Easter dinner at her house next weekend, which stresses her out a little. Understandable when you are having 20 people show up for dinner. She is only working half time right now, which she told me today means that the other half of the time she spends money. Not good when you are in recession. When she shows me something new that she just bought, she always adds at the end "But now I'm in recession." Right....

Now I am typing with Lucas asleep on my shoulder. A common occurence in the afternoon. If I put him down in his crib he will wake up, and if he wakes up that means he didn't have a nap, which means he will be really grumpy later, so sleeping on my shoulder while I type it is. I am really trying to enjoy each day that I have with him, because I know this year will go by way too fast. And when I have more kids it just won't be the same. While one naps I will be reading stories and playing with the other one. Sigh....that's all for now.